Venezuela opposition leader Machado rejects US-backed talks

Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, declared her refusal to take part in the US-supported discussions with Delcy Rodriguez's de facto government set for August. In a joint statement with Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who contested the 2024 presidential elections, Machado emphasized that the opposition would not partake in the "design, development and operation" of these negotiations. The initiative, introduced by Rodriguez's interim administration alongside former opposition parliamentarians from the 2015-2020 period, aimed to outline a plan for "strengthening democracy." Washington, which removed former president Nicolas Maduro in a military operation in January, praised the talks as a crucial move towards political reconciliation. Machado also backed Gonzalez Urrutia's claim to victory in the contentious 2024 elections, where Maduro was accused of fraud.