NEW: Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez broke her silence Monday on María Corina Machado’s return, saying the opposition leader could have avoided a “show.” She denied there is political persecution in Venezuela and declined to say whether Machado will take part in the U.S.-backed talks. It was her first public response, more than a day after Machado arrived in Caracas to crowds of supporters.

CARACAS, VENEZUELA — Nobel laureate María Corina Machado reached Caracas on Sunday night after a roughly 12-hour drive from Lara state, greeted along the way by thousands of supporters.

On Monday her spokesperson said she is willing to meet interim President Delcy Rodríguez. The return puts Venezuela’s most prominent opposition leader back on the ground as Washington brokers a transition she is not part of. It also revives the question of when Venezuelans will vote.

Machado appeared Sunday morning at a church in Barquisimeto, in Lara state, her first public appearance since she left Venezuela in December. She then traveled by road through Yaracuy, Carabobo and Aragua, followed by a caravan of cars and motorcycles.

In Guacara, Carabobo, she sang the national anthem as a plaza filled with supporters waving flags, La Prensa reported. AFP described traffic halted on stretches of main highways. She entered Caracas at night via the Valle-Coche highway, waving to crowds from a vehicle and wearing her usual white T-shirt and jeans. “Night of reunion in our Caracas,” she wrote on X. She gave no formal speech, but her spokesperson said she should address the country “in the coming hours.”

How she entered remains unclear. Reuters, citing four people familiar with the trip, reported she flew by private plane from Panama to Colombia and crossed into Venezuela by land.

One source said the trip was coordinated with U.S., Panamanian and Colombian authorities.

On Monday, spokesperson Claudia Macero said Machado is open to sitting down with Rodríguez “and with whoever is needed,” with “an agenda,” Acento reported, citing RFI.

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Macero said a credible transition “requires all parties” and cannot leave Machado out. The interim government had not publicly commented on the return. Jorge Arreaza, a government negotiator, posted Sunday defending dialogue, without mentioning Machado.

CBS reported that the government considers Machado a fugitive and accuses her of calling for military intervention.

President Donald Trump said he knew nothing about the return, called Machado “a very nice woman” and said he hoped she was safe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said she has “every right to enter her country” and called her return the “direct result” of the U.S.-backed reconciliation talks, which he said freed prisoners and let exiles return. Rubio also said Venezuela must stabilize its economy and rebuild courts and its electoral council before elections, according to the Associated Press. CBS reported Rubio called the talks the best chance in thirty years for a lasting democracy.

No presidential election date exists. Rodríguez has promised a vote but not named one, and she has stayed in office beyond the 90 days, plus a possible 90-day extension, the Supreme Court allowed, the Associated Press reported.

Machado’s party wants a vote in 2027, with Machado allowed to run. Risa Grais-Targow of Eurasia Group said the return increases pressure for a timeline. She expects Machado and Rodríguez to avoid open confrontation at first because both need Washington.

Washington backs talks between Rodríguez’s government and a delegation led by former lawmaker Dinorah Figuera, covering reforms of the Supreme Court and electoral authority. Machado says she will not obstruct the talks and will judge them by results, but wants any process based on the July 2024 results.

A source close to Machado says, “The relationship with Washington is strained but not interrupted.” Figuera welcomed the return while the Unitary Democratic Platform has presented a roadmap naming Machado and Edmundo González as leaders.

Machado’s earlier return attempts, at least seven according to her party, all failed. After the disputed 2024 election, a crackdown left dozens dead and thousands detained.

Questions surrounding a possible meeting between Machado and Rodríguez set the tone for whether a greater push towards democracy is palatable for the acting Rodríguez government.

The European Union welcomed her return and urged an “inclusive dialogue led by Venezuelans” toward “free and fair elections.”

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