The capture of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro by US forces appeared to close a chapter defined by years of sanctions, threats and failed talks. Yet months before the dramatic ouster, a quiet "alliance" emerged between Maduro’s own inner circle and the United States.
In November, roughly two months before Maduro's capture, Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, had established a secret backchannel with US officials, as per a report by The Guardian.
How the deal unfolded
According to The Guardian, communications between US officials and Delcy Rodríguez, the then serving as vice-president, began in November 2025. It was the same time when Donald Trump spoke directly with Maduro and urged him to step aside. Maduro refused, a decision that later resulted in the forceful removal of Maduro.
As uncertainty grew, Delcy increasingly signalled to American contacts that Maduro’s removal was necessary and that she would manage the post-Maduro transition. Her message, as The Guardian quotes one of the sources, was that a controlled handover was preferable to a chaotic collapse.
“Delcy was communicating ‘Maduro needs to go.’ She said, "I’ll work with whatever is the aftermath,’” the contact told The Guardian.
Why Washington agreed with Rodríguez
Despite her senior role in the Maduro administration, Delcy gradually gained credibility in Washington. The Guardian reports that US secretary of state Marco Rubio was initially sceptical of relying on a regime insider, but came to view Rodríguez’s assurances as the most viable way to prevent state collapse and maintain basic stability.
Delcy also signalled readiness to work with US energy interests and had connections in the sector, which reportedly reassured Trump administration figures.
Qatar played a key role in facilitating the talks. Delcy maintained close ties with Qatari officials, and Doha used its influence in Washington to support the backchannel process.
Notably, Delcy did not agree to help remove Maduro directly. Instead, she and her brother positioned themselves to manage the situation once he was no longer in power. One official familiar with the discussions told The Guardian that Delcy “feared him” and avoided any overt betrayal before his fall.
The day Maduro was captured
When US aircraft arrived in early January, Delcy disappeared from public view. Rumours circulated that she had travelled to Moscow, but The Guardian reports that she was on Margarita Island, awaiting developments.
On 5 January, she returned to Caracas and was sworn in as acting president to replace Maduro. Her brother Jorge Rodríguez, head of the national assembly, also assumed a central role — reflecting the transition framework reportedly discussed months earlier.
Hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump appeared to confirm that backchannel contacts had taken place.
"We’ve spoken to her numerous times, and she understands, she understands," he told the New York Post.
US against the Chavista regime
The United States, following months of strikes and military actions targeting Venezuelan assets, captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a raid on their residence earlier in January.
US President Donald Trump had long accused Maduro of presiding over a corrupt narco-state and enabling large-scale drug trafficking operations directed at the United States. Since September, US forces had intercepted and destroyed multiple vessels in the Caribbean that Washington described as part of Venezuela-linked smuggling networks.
Throughout his term, Trump also publicly rejected the legitimacy of Maduro’s 2018 re-election, asserting that the vote was fraudulent and that the Venezuelan strongman lacked a democratic mandate.