Trump’s Venezuela Outreach Revives Oil Hopes and Democracy Questions

Trump’s Venezuela Outreach Revives Oil Hopes and Democracy Questions
Donald Trump met Venezuelan interim leader Delcy Rodríguez in New York during the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, marking their first reported face-to-face encounter since Rodríguez took power after Nicolás Maduro’s capture. The meeting included senior US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Rodríguez described the exchange as a “historic meeting” and said the two sides discussed stronger bilateral ties and cooperation in energy, mining and security. She argued that Venezuela and the United States share a historical relationship that should now be guided through dialogue. Trump likewise struck an optimistic economic note at the UN, saying Washington was working with Venezuelan leaders toward “a much better future for the Venezuelan people.”

The two accounts place different weight on what that cooperation means. One emphasizes the diplomatic opening alongside criticism from Venezuelan opposition figures and US politicians, who point to political detainees and call for a clear timetable for free and fair presidential elections. The other frames the shift more directly through Washington’s influence after Maduro’s removal and its interest in Venezuela’s oil reserves, including an agreement announced in August involving reserves estimated at up to 65 billion barrels.

Trump made the energy calculation unusually explicit, telling the General Assembly that the combined reserves of the United States and Venezuela amounted to more than 60% of global oil. He added: “To the victors belong the spoils.” That language underscored the contrast between a stated agenda of stabilization and future elections, and concerns that immediate fuel and investment priorities could outweigh political reform.

Commentary from Brazilian journalist Paulo Figueiredo highlighted the abruptness of Rodríguez’s engagement with Washington, recalling her former association with Maduro’s hostile rhetoric toward the United States.

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