Venezuela’s interim leader signals opening of oil sector, seeks reset with United States

CARACAS, Venezuela (Journos News) – Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has called for sweeping changes to the country’s oil industry, urging lawmakers to open the state-run sector to greater foreign investment and signaling a cautious thaw in relations with the United States following the dramatic removal of former president Nicolás Maduro.

In her first state of the union address on Thursday, Rodríguez presented a markedly different tone and policy direction from the confrontational rhetoric that has defined Caracas for decades. Speaking less than two weeks after U.S. forces captured Maduro and Washington pledged to take control of Venezuelan crude export revenues, she described what she called a “new political reality” for the oil-rich nation.

The 44-minute speech, delivered before lawmakers and foreign diplomats in Caracas, suggested that Venezuela’s new leadership is seeking economic accommodation with Washington while attempting to preserve political continuity at home. Rodríguez, a long-time Maduro ally and former vice president, framed the shift as pragmatic rather than ideological, saying the government was adapting to circumstances imposed from abroad.

A push to reshape the oil industry

At the center of Rodríguez’s message was Venezuela’s vast but long-sanctioned oil sector, which has suffered from years of mismanagement, underinvestment and international restrictions. She urged the National Assembly to approve reforms that would guarantee foreign companies access to Venezuela’s reserves, among the largest in the world.

“Venezuela, in free trade relations with the world, can sell the products of its energy industry,” Rodríguez said, addressing diplomats whom she encouraged to relay the message to potential investors overseas.

The appeal comes as the Trump administration has stated it intends to oversee future Venezuelan oil export revenues, arguing that proceeds should directly benefit the population rather than entrenched elites. Rodríguez acknowledged that pressure, saying oil income would be directed into two sovereign wealth funds — one to shore up the country’s collapsing healthcare system and another to rebuild public infrastructure.

Much of that infrastructure was constructed during the early years of the Bolivarian revolution under Hugo Chávez and has since fallen into disrepair. In hospitals across the country, shortages have become so severe that patients are often asked to bring their own basic supplies, including syringes and surgical materials.

A softer tone toward Washington

While Rodríguez criticized the U.S. role in Maduro’s capture, calling it a “stain on our relations,” she also struck an unusually conciliatory note toward Venezuela’s historic adversary. Her speech avoided the extended denunciations of “imperialism” that were a staple of previous administrations and instead emphasized dialogue.

“Let us not be afraid of diplomacy,” she said. “I ask that politics not be transformed, that it not begin with hatred and intolerance.”

The contrast was reinforced a day earlier when Rodríguez delivered a brief, four-minute media statement pledging the continued release of prisoners detained under Maduro’s rule. Human rights organizations, however, say only a small fraction of the releases claimed by the government have been independently verified.

Rodríguez’s balancing act was evident throughout her address. A portrait of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, stood nearby as she spoke, underscoring continuity with the past even as she outlined a new economic course. She called on Washington to “respect the dignity” of Maduro, who is being held in a Brooklyn jail after pleading not guilty to U.S. drug-trafficking charges.

“If one day, as acting president, I have to go to Washington, I will do so standing up, walking, not being dragged,” Rodríguez said. “I’ll go standing tall — never crawling.”

Opposition sidelined as power shifts

Rodríguez’s speech came as Venezuela’s internationally recognized opposition figure, María Corina Machado, was in Washington meeting U.S. President Donald Trump. Machado, whose coalition says it won the disputed 2024 presidential election, has been largely excluded from post-Maduro negotiations over Venezuela’s political future.

Since Maduro’s removal, the Trump administration has frozen Machado out of formal talks while embracing Rodríguez as a transitional interlocutor. Trump publicly praised her this week as a “terrific person” after holding his first known phone call with her.

Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump during their closed-door meeting, though details of the discussion were not made public. Emerging from the White House, she told supporters, “We can count on President Trump,” without elaborating.

Her future role remains uncertain. Rodríguez’s government has effectively been relieved of holding new elections in the near term, consolidating its position as Washington’s preferred partner for managing Venezuela’s oil transition.

Machado’s visit received no coverage on Venezuelan state television, which has continued broadcasting pro-government messaging. Programming has included statements from Iranian and Russian officials condemning what they describe as U.S. aggression, alongside extensive coverage of rallies demanding Maduro’s return.

Streets marked by caution and uncertainty

On Thursday, groups of teachers marched through central Caracas carrying posters accusing the United States of “kidnapping” Maduro and chanting slogans in support of the government. Riot police were deployed along major routes, and pro-government graffiti reading “To doubt is to betray” was visible on city walls.

Analysts say the government is attempting to satisfy Washington economically while maintaining tight political control at home. “Their idea is to give Trump everything he wants economically, but stay the course politically,” said David Smilde, a Venezuela expert at Tulane University.

Many Venezuelans remain wary of speaking openly. In downtown Caracas, several residents declined interviews, citing fear of reprisals as much of Maduro’s security apparatus remains in place.

Others expressed confusion rather than anger. “It’s a complete sea of uncertainty,” said Pablo Rojas, a 28-year-old music producer. “The only one who now has the power to make decisions is the United States government.”

Rojas said he was closely following developments in Washington to see whether Machado would be elevated into a leadership role. “It’s impossible to know what will happen,” he said.

For now, Rodríguez’s address signals a significant rhetorical and economic shift — one that seeks to reopen Venezuela’s oil sector to the world while navigating the fragile politics of a country adjusting to a sudden and externally driven change in power.