Venezuelan opposition leader Machado fails in return attempts as Rodriguez meets Trump

Sept 22 (Reuters) – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado made three unsuccessful bids to return to Venezuela in recent hours, her team and media said on Tuesday, as interim President Delcy Rodriguez met US President Donald Trump in New York.

The flurry of activity comes amid high-stakes diplomacy at the United Nations General Assembly, where Trump held his first meeting with Rodriguez since US forces captured then-President Nicolas Maduro during a raid in January.

Machado adviser Pedro Urruchurtu said on social media the latest sea and air attempts were among seven failed efforts to return since she clandestinely left Venezuela nine months ago, as reported by Spanish newspaper ABC.

The remarks were later confirmed by a spokesperson for Machado, who has not publicly commented on the failed attempts.

The US State Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Following the June earthquakes in Venezuela, US officials privately urged Machado to postpone her return and opposed her efforts to re-enter the country, people familiar with the matter said.

Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been in exile since late last year following a period in hiding after the contested 2024 election.

Her arrival remains a point of contention, despite having repeatedly vowed to return after Maduro’s ouster and two major earthquakes.

Newspaper ABC did not give details on who blocked the attempts by sea and air.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)