Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has publicly defended a controversial oil deal with US President Donald Trump, insisting the country retains ownership and sovereignty over its reserves.
Key facts
- Delcy Rodríguez gave a televised address on Saturday defending the deal.
- The agreement will reportedly see the US take control of 65bn barrels of Venezuelan oil.
- Rodríguez insists Venezuela will maintain ownership and sovereignty over its reserves.
- Trump has called it 'the biggest oil deal in world history'.
- Rodríguez assumed power in January after Trump ordered the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro, according to the Guardian.
Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has defended her government’s highly controversial energy deal with US President Donald Trump, insisting the South American country will maintain ownership and sovereignty over its massive oil reserves, according to the Guardian.
Rodríguez took to the airwaves on Saturday in a televised address to push back against criticism of the agreement, which US President Donald Trump has described as “the biggest oil deal in world history,” the Guardian reported.
The deal, according to the Guardian, will reportedly see the United States take control of 65bn barrels of Venezuelan oil. The reported scale of the arrangement has provoked outrage inside Venezuela.
Al Jazeera reported that Rodríguez used the televised address specifically to defend the arrangement, framing it in terms that emphasise continued Venezuelan control. The Guardian said she stressed the country would keep ownership and sovereignty over its reserves.
Rodríguez assumed power in January, the Guardian reported, after Trump ordered the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro. Her defence of the deal comes as she seeks to counter domestic criticism of the agreement’s terms.
The Guardian noted that Rodríguez pointed to what she described as the wide-ranging benefits of the deal for Venezuela, even as opponents question how the country can retain sovereignty over reserves the US is reported to be taking control of.
Why it matters
The reported transfer of control over billions of barrels of oil to the United States raises major questions about Venezuela's economic independence and the balance of power in the region. How the deal is framed and received domestically could shape the legitimacy of Rodríguez's interim government and future US-Venezuela relations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Venezuela-US oil deal?
According to the Guardian, the deal will reportedly see the United States take control of 65bn barrels of Venezuelan oil. President Trump has called it 'the biggest oil deal in world history.'
Who is Delcy Rodríguez?
Delcy Rodríguez is Venezuela's interim president, who the Guardian reports assumed power in January after Trump ordered the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro.
What has Rodríguez said about sovereignty?
Rodríguez insists Venezuela will maintain ownership and sovereignty over its massive oil reserves, defending the deal in a televised address on Saturday, according to the Guardian and Al Jazeera.