Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez Defends Oil Deal With Donald Trump, Saying Country Retains Ownership

Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez defended her government’s controversial energy arrangement with Donald Trump on Sunday, telling reporters that the planned oil deal will provide “endless” benefits while maintaining Venezuelan ownership and sovereignty over its oil reserves.

The remarks came amid domestic outrage over a deal described in recent reporting as one under which the United States would take control of an estimated 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil. Rodríguez rejected the characterization that Venezuela would lose its rights to the petroleum in question, arguing instead that the arrangement would protect the country’s authority over its resources.

Rodríguez spoke after she assumed power in January, when, according to the recent report, Trump ordered the removal of the previous Venezuelan leadership. The Guardian report said Rodríguez was responding to claims that the arrangement would transfer control in practice to U.S. interests, a position that has drawn criticism inside Venezuela.

In her defense, Rodríguez emphasized that Venezuela would remain the owner of its oil and would retain sovereignty over the hydrocarbons. She framed the agreement as a mechanism to generate economic gains and state benefits, while rejecting the idea that the country would surrender control over the energy sector.

The reporting also described the dispute as political and legal in nature, with supporters of Rodríguez presenting the deal as beneficial and consistent with national interests, and critics viewing it as an infringement on Venezuelan sovereignty. The disagreement has added pressure to an already fragile domestic context, where control of institutions and economic policy has become a central issue.

Rodríguez’s comments did not provide additional operational details in the reporting, such as the specific contracting structure, the duration of any arrangement, or how “control” would be defined in the context of the estimated 65 billion barrels. The lack of publicly detailed terms has continued to fuel uncertainty about what practical changes, if any, would follow once the deal is implemented.

Outside Venezuela, energy markets and governments have repeatedly treated U.S.-Venezuela oil arrangements as matters tied to sanctions enforcement, export compliance, and the shifting balance between diplomatic leverage and economic access. Within Venezuela, the debate over the deal is expected to remain tied to questions of who ultimately holds decision-making authority over production, revenues, and oversight.

For now, the next steps depend on whether the parties publish or submit the agreement’s terms to relevant oversight bodies, and whether Venezuelan authorities clarify the legal basis and governance arrangements for any U.S. involvement described in the reporting.