Trump, Venezuela's Rodriguez discuss debt restructuring, Rubio says

US President ​Donald Trump and Venezuela's interim ‌President Delcy ​Rodriguez discussed the restructuring of the South American nation's massive sovereign debt load, US ‌Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.

The pull-aside meeting at a reception Trump hosted late on Tuesday on the sidelines ‌of the UN General Assembly came during Rodriguez's first trip to ‌the US since American forces captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in a January raid. "There's a lot that needs to be fixed in order for Venezuela to ⁠be ​successful," Rubio ⁠told reporters. "Debt restructuring is key to that."

Rubio said Venezuela had "probably the world's largest sovereign ⁠debt that has to be restructured" and said the United States wanted ​to help, but that "it has to be done in ⁠the right way." The government and state oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela have about $60 ⁠billion ​of bonds that are in default, although analysts estimate that once accrued interest, other claims and arbitration awards are included, ⁠total liabilities could top $150 billion.

Rubio described the meeting between Trump and Rodriguez ⁠as short but ⁠important.