Interim President of Venezuela to visit America (Oil Ties)
Michiyo Tanabe, Chika Mori, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, plans to visit the United States following the recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This brazen seizure of Maduro, reportedly carried out on the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump, continues to baffle on multiple levels — from alleged internal collusion to Washington’s sudden engagement with a regime it had long condemned for narcotics trafficking and other serious violations.
Accordingly, the unexpected momentum toward improved relations between the ruling elites in Caracas and the Trump administration in Washington continues to unfold. It now appears that both sides are pursuing a transactional understanding, centered on U.S. access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
Rodríguez — despite Maduro’s capture and growing unease at home — stated that she embraces dialogue with the United States “without fear.”
She declared: “We are in a process of dialogue, of working with the United States, without any fear, to confront our differences and difficulties… and to address them through diplomacy.”
Rodríguez is fully aware that U.S. warships remain positioned near Venezuela’s coast. Her pragmatic posture is therefore reflected in the release of prisoners and in allowing Washington to broker the sale of Venezuela’s national oil.
France 24 reports: “The U.S. trip, which has yet to be confirmed by Venezuelan authorities, could pose problems for Rodríguez inside the government — where some hardliners still detest what they see as Washington’s hemispheric imperialism.”
Geopolitically, nations maintaining cordial relations with Venezuela are equally stunned by recent developments. Consequently, it remains unclear how ties will evolve with China, Cuba, Iran, and the Russian Federation under this altered reality.
Venezuela — home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves — remains under the same repressive political structure, as the Trump administration appears primarily focused on energy access and geopolitical leverage. As a result, Venezuela’s internal trajectory remains deeply uncertain, particularly regarding democracy versus continued one-party domination.
Notably, Trump’s initial harsh rhetoric has since been noticeably tempered.
Overall, the situation remains opaque and disorienting following Maduro’s arrest. Nevertheless, early signs suggest that, at least in the short term, pragmatism — rather than ideology — is firmly on the table on both sides.
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