'Not years, but months and weeks': Marco Rubio outlines the timeline for free elections in Venezuela

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio set a clear timeframe for the transition process in Venezuela on Tuesday.

In assessing the political situation in the South American country, the official stated that the restoration of democracy must take place within weeks or months, ruling out the possibility that the situation could drag on for years.

Rubio made these remarks on the sidelines of an official meeting with Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez. From there, the head of U.S. diplomacy called for Washington's strategic perseverance to consolidate political change.

"I believe it will require some perseverance and a little patience—not years, but months and weeks," the senior official stated emphatically to the media.

Countdown to the start of dialogue in Caracas

The Department of State's statement comes seven months after the U.S. military incursion that ousted Nicolás Maduro.

Since then, Rubio has taken the lead on the Trump administration's foreign policy toward Venezuela, prioritizing institutional stability and securing energy supplies from the South American nation.

The timeframe set by the White House adds direct pressure at the negotiating table to be set up in the Venezuelan capital. The first in-person meeting is scheduled for this week between delegates from the interim regime's leader, Delcy Rodríguez, and representatives of the "2015 Assembly," with a date not yet disclosed.

With the deadline set by Washington in "months and weeks," the United States makes it clear that it will not accept delays in the institutional reform timeline or in the roadmap toward the full restoration of democracy.