Caracas (theassemblymedia.com) — Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, held a meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday in New York, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session, where she is also expected to speak.
“We held a historic meeting with President Donald Trump, where we discussed strengthening bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in strategic areas such as energy, mining, security, and other matters of mutual interest,” Rodríguez posted on social media.
The Venezuelan leader said she expressed gratitude for the June 24 post-earthquake emergency aid and for US support of Venezuela’s reintegration into multilateral forums.
“Venezuela and the United States share a historic relationship that, in this new phase, we are called upon to steer through dialogue,” Rodríguez said. “We will continue to pursue a diplomacy that serves the national interest, aimed at concrete results and collective benefits for the Venezuelan people.”
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, who was present during the meeting, told reporters that the encounter was short but important, and that the main topic of discussion was debt restructuring.
According to reports, the meeting was held privately at New York’s Lotte Palace Hotel. Also in attendance were Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and National Security Advisor Stephen Miller. Rodríguez was accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Félix Plasencia, and the Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe and North America, Oliver Blanco.
Earlier in the day, Trump addressed the General Assembly, boasting about the January 3 military assault on Venezuela in which US forces abducted President Nicolás Maduro, his wife, and elected National Assembly deputy Cilia Flores. According to legal scholars and his defense team, Maduro’s abduction from his home in Caracas violated his immunity as the sitting head of state.
Trump stated that “it was a war” and that “to the victor belong the spoils,” referring to Washington’s de facto control of Venezuela’s oil operations and seizure of oil revenue in a US-controlled bank account. According to the Financial Times, the US Treasury seized at least $13 billion from Venezuelan crude exports between January and July. Of that sum, only $300 million was confirmed wired to Caracas; the fate of the rest remains unknown, though US officials claim the administration deducted the cost of the military operation.
“Our actions in Venezuela are proof that the United States will no longer allow threats to take root anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. If necessary, we will use our unmatched military might to safeguard our interests,” Trump told attendees at the UN headquarters.
Rodríguez’s encounter with Trump was her first since becoming acting president after the operation that killed more than 100 people, including Venezuelan security officers, civilians, and Cuban nationals. She has carried out an extensive agenda in New York, meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres, IDB President Ilan Goldfajn, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and World Bank President Ajay Banga. The talks reportedly focused on the economy, human rights, debt restructuring, earthquake recovery, and cooperation.
US-Venezuela restored ties
Rodríguez, who had served as vice president and oil minister under Maduro, was sworn in on January 5 under a Venezuelan Supreme Court ruling ratified by parliament. Her mandate has no fixed end date because no electoral calendar has been announced. There is no constitutional mechanism to cope with a head of state abducted by a foreign power. Maduro’s term was set to end in 2031.
Shortly after taking power, Rodríguez announced that her administration would resume diplomatic relations with Washington, severed in 2019, and enter high-level negotiations on oil and commercial deals. This rapid normalization came amid threats of a second military assault and a naval blockade that seized at least ten oil vessels off Venezuela’s coast between December 2025 and February 2026.
The largest sign of cooperation is a massive oil deal announced on August 28 that gives the US access to roughly 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves through North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a private company owned by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, in which the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital will hold a 35 percent stake and board veto power.
Various Venezuelan leftist groups have criticized the negotiations with Trump and consider the oil deal invalid because it was signed under duress. Meanwhile, sectors of the far right that called for military intervention have criticized Trump engaging with Caracas. Rodríguez has defended the diplomatic approach and has the support of the Venezuelan military and public powers, though she has said elections will take place in the future.
Maduro and Venezuelan migrants
The Venezuelan acting president’s attendance at the 81st UN General Assembly has raised questions about any possible contact with President Maduro or Flores. The presidential couple is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. A prison visit, however, would be virtually impossible, as these are restricted to legal counsel.
Rodríguez has previously said that Maduro is Venezuela’s legitimate president and has a right to due process. Caracas is paying for the couple’s legal fees in New York, but each payment must be pre-approved by US authorities. Maduro and Flores have both pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to import drugs and weapons offenses outlined in a revised indictment presented in January. The charges have been widely questioned by international law scholars for lacking evidence and being largely politically motivated.
Rodríguez’s visit to New York comes amid ramped-up persecution of Venezuelan migrants. On Sunday, ICE agents shot 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez in Austin, Texas. According to his attorney, Garcés is in federal custody and has not received adequate medical care. Garcés entered the US legally. Caracas has issued no statements.
*This article has been updated to include statements by Marco Rubio.
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