President Donald Trump on Saturday posted an image on his Truth Social account showing Venezuela coloured with the US flag and labelled “51st State”. The post, which was also re-shared by official White House accounts according to Russian outlet Vedomosti, is at least the second time Trump has circulated such a map. He first posted a similar image in May after telling Fox News he was “seriously considering” turning Venezuela into the 51st state.

In remarks that coincided with the post, Trump said on Friday that Venezuela was still not “prepared” to hold elections, but claimed there had been “advances” on that front. He added that acting president Delcy Rodríguez — who served as Nicolás Maduro’s vice-president before his capture — was “doing a fantastic job” and highlighted benefits for US companies and Venezuelans from the oil market, according to El Universal and Clarín.

The post came as Venezuela’s parliament and a group of opposition figures announced they would begin Washington-backed talks on Saturday aimed at promoting democracy in the country, El Universal and Clarín reported. The dialogue follows a proposal from the main opposition faction and its leaders, María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, for a “serious” negotiation with the government to restore democracy through a free presidential election, Clarín said.

Since US military forces captured Maduro on 3 January and transferred him to New York to face a federal narcoterrorism trial, Washington has exercised a tutelary role over the Rodríguez administration, according to multiple reports. The US has not set an electoral calendar. Trump has also floated making Canada the 51st state and hinted at a similar status for Greenland, El Universal, Clarín and Metrópoles noted.