Rubio excludes Venezuela from South America tour despite US energy thaw

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's upcoming South America itinerary omits Venezuela, even as US Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited Caracas and Washington shows signs of rapprochement with the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez. The omission signals a deliberate diplomatic distancing, likely reflecting unresolved political conditions or domestic constraints. The move matters as it tempers expectations of a rapid normalization in US-Venezuela relations despite energy-sector engagement.