Donald Trump met with interim Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez at the United Nations General Assembly, a first face‑to‑face meeting since the US backed her removal of Nicolás Maduro from power. The encounter occurred a few kilometres from the Manhattan jail where Maduro is awaiting trial for drug trafficking and other charges.
Rodríguez told reporters the discussion centred on advancing cooperation in strategic areas such as energy, mining and security. The U.S. and Venezuelan governments have already signed an agreement that allows a U.S. company 100‑year concessions over 17 Venezuelan oilfields and controls more than 65 billion barrels of the country’s reserves—a deal Trump dubbed “the biggest oil deal in world history.”
President Trump referenced the oil deal in his Monday UN address, noting that the U.S. and Venezuela together control “more than 60 % of the world’s oil” and declaring, “To the victor belong the spoils.” He added that Rodríguez’s government has pledged a cooperation agenda for the coming year.
Rodríguez, once veto‑powering vice‑president under Maduro, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 – sanctions that were lifted in April this year – but she remains barred from re‑entering Venezuela. She was sworn in as interim president after the U.S. raid and the support of the White House.
