Trump’s 100-year Plan for Venezuela’s Oil | The Palki Sharma Show

September 1, 2026 | US President Donald Trump is pushing deeper into Venezuela’s oil industry under a new agreement with Caracas. Reports say a US-linked joint venture would receive drilling rights across 17 fields containing 65 billion barrels of confirmed reserves. The US could also buy 20% of production at cost and receive first refusal over the remainder.

Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez describes the project as an investment that will create jobs, production. and government revenue. But the arrangement could significantly expand Washington’s influence over Venezuela’s biggest asset and put existing Chinese and Russian oil interests in the country under pressure.


That woman, Delcy Rodríguez, in Venezuela is either ectremely naïve which I very much doubt, very stupid, which I also very much doubt, or complicit in this Trump-favourable deal. How the Venezuelans are tolerating this is beyond my comprehension. Basically, Trump is stealing Venezuela’s most valuable asset: oil! — © Mark Alexander

The Biggest Oil Deal or Theft at Gunpoint? US Claims Majority Control of Venezuela's Oil Reserves

September 1, 2026 | The U.S. has struck a deal to take majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's oil reserves, nine months after the U.S. military abducted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a raid on Caracas and two months after The New York Times revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become the de facto viceroy of Venezuela, effectively controlling Venezuela's finances, the distribution of its natural resources and its government. The new oil deal gives the Department of Defense a 35% stake in a joint U.S.-Venezuelan private company that now holds 100-year leases to 17 oil fields. It also gives the U.S. the right to buy some of the oil produced at cost — a major triumph for the Trump administration as the war on Iran depletes the United States' strategic oil reserves. Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez claims U.S. investment in Venezuela's oil industry will jumpstart the country's floundering economy, but critics, including Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodríguez, say the deal is not only "unfavorable to Venezuela" but also appears to violate the Venezuelan Constitution.

"The whole history around this is extremely shady," adds Rodríguez, who previously led Venezuela's Congressional Budget Office and now teaches at the University of Denver. "It's clear that this is not a deal that any Venezuelan government would have entered into unless this country had been subject to an invasion, and unless its authorities had been held at gunpoint. So, I think we've replaced gunboat diplomacy now for gunpoint diplomacy."


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As I have said before, the poor Venezuelans appear to have been shafted by the Trump regime! — © Mark Alexander

Trump Announces New US Oil Agreement with Venezuela

THE GUARDIAN: US president says US will have ‘majority’ control of 65bn barrels of proven oil reserves

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | A Venezuelan flag in front of an oil tanker in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on 27 July. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Donald Trump announced Friday a new US oil agreement with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez, saying the US will have “majority” control of 65bn barrels of proven oil reserves.

The terms of the agreement remain to be seen, but the US president said on his social-media platform that it had been brokered “through a partnership with ⁠private business” by his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.

The administration, Trump wrote, has “secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer”.

Trump said the agreement would more than double American oil reserves.

“This deal is a huge win for both the American and Venezuelan people,” Rubio wrote on social media. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Saturday, August 29, 2026

« Le gouvernement de Delcy nous a totalement abandonnés » : le Venezuela entre dans une timide transition démocratique sous contrôle américain

Cette photo provient de cet article du Figaro. | Des partisans de l’opposante Maria Corina Machado, à Caracas, en juillet. JONATHAN LANZA / NurPhoto via AFP
LE FIGARO : REPORTAGE - Les États-Unis et le pouvoir chaviste pilotent une feuille de route de transition démocratique amorcée début août, mais la principale figure de l’opposition, la prix Nobel Maria Corina Machado est marginalisée.

À La Guaira, on n’entend plus de prénoms hurlés dans la pénombre. Dans les semaines qui ont suivi les secousses du double séisme du 24 juin dernier, la côte détruite n’était éclairée que par la lueur des lampes torches. On n’entendait pas de larmes, mais des cris. Puis la nuit a tout avalé. Il y a eu certaines fois ce silence glacial des secouristes figés sous la poussière des décombres, qui criaient « Fermez-la tous ! », retenant leur souffle pour tenter d’écouter le moindre bruit, l’appel à l’aide imperceptible d’un survivant sous les millefeuilles de ciment. Aujourd’hui, tout ce bruit tragique des recherches s’est tu, remplacé par les détonations sourdes et mécaniques des démolitions entamées fin juillet. Plus le moindre espoir, pour certains, de retrouver les corps des leurs. Des milliers de deuils sans sépultures.

« J’aurais aimé retrouver même un seul de leurs bras », pleure Ramón Motomayor, les yeux calcinés fixés en désignant les dalles broyées. Il y a perdu ses deux filles et sa femme, mais aussi son négoce. « Pendant qu’on cherchait à mains nues nos familles, aplaties sous le béton, Maria Corina était à l’abri en Espagne, et le gouvernement de Delcy nous a totalement abandonnés », dit-il avec colère à propos des deux figures de la politique vénézuélienne : l’opposante Maria Corina Machado, qui vit hors du pays depuis qu’elle a reçu le prix Nobel de la paix, et la présidente par intérim, Delcy Rodriguez, à la tête du Venezuela depuis l’exfiltration de Nicolas Maduro, en janvier. » | Par Florence Tomasi, Caracas | mardi 12 août 2026

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À LIRE AUSSI :

Maria Corina Machado, figure de l’opposition vénézuélienne au Figaro : « Seul le peuple peut garantir la transition » : ENTRETIEN - Grande absente de la transition voulue par les États-Unis, Maria Corina Machado réaffirme son refus de tout accord passé sans l’avis des citoyens. »

Pauvreté, immobilisme, investissements massifs... Le Venezuela dans le brouillard de l’après-Maduro : REPORTAGE - Huit mois après la capture de Nicolas Maduro par les forces américaines, le bilan est mitigé : la production de brut remonte, quelques îlots privés se stabilisent, la répression est moins dure, mais l’immense majorité des Vénézuéliens voit ses conditions de vie s’aggraver. »

« Cette visite témoigne de la solidité de l’axe russo-chinois » : après la venue de Donald Trump, Vladimir Poutine vient resserrer les liens avec Xi Jinping

Cette image est extraite de cet article du Figaro. | Vladimir Poutine et Xi Jinping lors du sommet de coopération de Shanghai, le 1er septembre 2025. SUO TAKEKUMA / AFP
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Le voyage du président russe vise à afficher la ténacité de son partenariat, mais trahit l’anxiété de Moscou face au récent rapprochement sino-américain.

À peine Air Force One envolé que la Chine déroule le tapis rouge pour l’Iliouchine de Vladimir Poutine, surnommé le « Kremlin volant », ce mardi 19 mai. Après avoir tenu tête à Donald Trump à Zhongnanhai la semaine dernière, Xi Jinping accueille dans la foulée son « vieil ami » russe, en position de force dans le triangle mouvant Washington-Moscou-Pékin, secoué par le Moyen-Orient.

Sur les pas du trublion de l’Amérique d’abord, cette visite d’État de deux jours vise à afficher la solidité du « partenariat sans limite » scellé face à l’Occident par les dirigeants en 2022, mais consacre aussi l’ascendant du géant chinois face à un Kremlin anxieux du pas de deux sino-américain.

Il s’agit de la vingt-cinquième visite en Chine de Poutine, a rappelé la diplomatie chinoise, pointant un déplacement presque de routine sous le signe la connivence stratégique entre deux dirigeants qui se sont rencontrés à plus de quarante reprises. Alors que Trump était le premier président américain à fouler le sol de l’empire du Milieu depuis près d’une décennie, son homologue russe était aux premières loges sur la place Tiananmen, à la droite de Xi, le 3 septembre dernier, lors d’un spectaculaire défilé de l’armée populaire de libération (APL), aux avant-postes d’un front anti-occidental. » | Par Sébastien Falletti correspondant en Asie | mardi 19 mai 2026

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Venezuela Without Maduro | ARTE.tv Documentary

Apr 28, 2026 | Three months after Nicolás Maduro's kidnapping by US special forces, Venezuelan civil society is reawakening and challenging the regime openly. Demonstrators are criticising the government and demanding the release of political prisoners, and oil industry trade unions want to see change.

Venezuela Without Maduro | ARTE.tv Documentary Available until: 24/03/2029

I Travelled Venezuela after Maduro’s Capture - Here’s What’s Really Happening | Rare Access

Mar 26, 2026 | On a rare journalist visa, BBC South America Correspondent Ione Wells travels across Venezuela, just weeks after the US military operation that captured President Nicolás Maduro.

In this reporter vlog, Ione explores the reality of a nation in transition - from the streets of Caracas to the coastal state of Sucre. What has actually changed since the US announced it would “run” the country? …

"Hostile Takeovers": as US Claims Venezuela's Oil, Trump Seeks "Vassal States" across the World

Jan 30, 2026 | In the aftermath of the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, Venezuela has agreed to submit a monthly budget to the Trump administration, which will release money from an account funded by oil sales. It's a deal for the interim government led by Delcy Rodriguéz that historian Greg Grandin calls "governing under the blade." In a further shift away from the nation-building foreign policy of the past several decades of US power, "what the United States is planning for Venezuela is basically to run the country as a vassal state," he says. "This is an arrangement with transactional details that we've never seen before."

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Another Trump Lie!

Nobody stole your oil, Mr Trump!

Erst Drogen, jetzt Öl: Was will Trump von Venezuela wirklich?

Dec 17, 2025 | Die USA erhöhen den Druck auf Venezuela. US-Präsident Donald Trump hat eine Blockade aller sanktionierten Öltanker vor Venezuela angefordert und brachte nun die US-Militärpräsenz vor der venezolanischen Küste mit den Erdölvorkommen des Landes in Verbindung. Ging es ihm also schon immer um das Öl?

Bisher hat Donald Trump immer von einem Drogenkrieg gegen Venezuela gesprochen. Er erklärte, er wolle den Drogenschmuggel von Venezuela in die USA stoppen. Nun hat der US-Präsident in den sozialen Medien geschrieben, Venezuela habe den Vereinigten Staaten Öl, Land und andere Vermögenswerte gestohlen und er fordere die sofortige Rückgabe. Trump drohte zudem damit, die USA könnten weitere Schiffe in der Region beschlagnahmen. Venezuelas Regierung sprach von einer grotesken Drohung und bezeichnete sie als einen schwerwiegenden Verstoss gegen das Völkerrecht.

Was hat es mit Trumps Aussagen auf sich? Und was für eine Rolle spielen Venezuelas grosse Erdölvorkommen im Konflikt?

Russia's Missiles Target U.S. Navy — Venezuela's Deadly Warning to Washington | Yanis Varoufakis

Noov 29, 2025

Ben Norton: The Shocking Truth about America’s Plans for Venezuela

Oct 24, 2025 | Geopolitical Analyst Ben Norton joins the show to discuss Venezuela

US-Venezuela Standoff Intensifies after US Attack on Boat Trump Says Carried Drugs | DW News

Sep 5, 2025 | There is a deepening standoff between the United States and Venezuela, an oil rich country, backed by America's biggest economic rival: China.

After this week's deadly US strike in the Caribbean -- an attack that killed 11 people on a boat US President Trump says was carrying illicit drugs from Venezuela -- his Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the US is going to wage war on what he called narco-terrorists organizations.

In Caracas, the Venezualan President Nicolas Maduro says 'imperialism is launching a new attack' aimed at regime change. He insists his country will stand firm -- but to do that, will China have to step in?

Venezuela - Maduros Machtkampf | Doku HD Reupload | ARTE

Aug 20, 2025 | Präsident Maduro regiert Venezuela seit elf Jahren mit harter Hand. Trotz Unruhen und Wirtschaftssanktionen der USA hält er an der Macht fest. Maduro stürzte das Land in die schlimmste humanitäre Krise seiner Geschichte. Jahrelang galt er im Westen als Paria, doch nun ist er wieder salonfähig: denn seit dem Krieg in der Ukraine braucht die Welt dringend venezolanisches Öl.

Vom Busfahrer zum Präsidenten: Nicolás Maduro gibt so schnell nicht auf. Mit unerschütterlichem Glauben an seinen guten Stern und glühendem Sendungsbewusstsein sieht er es als seine Mission an, die sozialistische Revolution Venezuelas um jeden Preis fortzuführen. Einst war Venezuela das reichste Land Lateinamerikas. Seit Maduros Amtsantritt befindet es sich in der schwersten humanitären, sozialen, monetären und wirtschaftlichen Krise seiner Geschichte, zerrüttet von autoritärem Regierungsstil, ideologischer Verhärtung und jahrelangen wirtschaftlichen Fehlentscheidungen.

Die Ölproduktion brach von fast vier Millionen auf weniger als 500.000 Barrel pro Tag ein. Die Inflation erreichte einen Rekordwert von über 3.000 Prozent. Mittlerweile leben 90 Prozent der Bevölkerung unter der Armutsgrenze. Millionen Venezolaner haben das Land verlassen. Auf die sozialen Unruhen reagierte Maduro mit einem zunehmend diktatorischen Führungsstil. Er machte die Opposition mundtot, brachte die Presse zum Schweigen und ließ sich als Alleinherrscher feiern. Jahrelang wurde er von der internationalen Gemeinschaft ausgegrenzt und von internationalen Treffen ausgeschlossen. Doch der Krieg in der Ukraine hat das geopolitische Kräfteverhältnis tief erschüttert. Heute braucht die Welt dringend venezolanisches Öl. Vom Paria wird Nicolas Maduro wieder zum gefragten Gesprächspartner und unverzichtbaren Verbündeten.

Dokumentation von Paul Cabanis (F 2024, 52 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 15/02/2026

Crisis in Venezuela - Maduro's Ongoing Power Struggle | DW Documentary

Oct 23, 2024 | Nicolás Maduro has been president of Venezuela since 2013. He rules the country, which faces grave political and economic problems, with an iron fist. Despite massive criticism from home and abroad, Maduro is clinging to power. Successfully, so far.


Venezuela experienced many dramatic events in recent decades. There was the "Bolivarian Revolution" started by Hugo Chávez, who was elected president in 1998 and introduced a socialist system to the country. There were also attempted coups, violent protests, and severe economic crises — despite the fact that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world.

After the illness and death of Hugo Chávez in 2013, Nicolás Maduro succeeded as president. The former bus driver and socialist set himself the goal of continuing Venezuela's socialist revolution, at any cost.

His rule has been authoritarian. Corruption within Venezuela's state elite and mismanagement are widespread. Years of poor economic decisions have driven the country to ruin under Maduro's presidency. Millions of people in Venezuela are impoverished, and many have fled to neighboring countries.

Yet despite opposition attempts to force him out, Maduro has survived. He was declared the winner in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential elections in July - this, although the parliament had tried to remove him from office in 2017 already. People took to the streets to demand his resignation back then and this year again.

However, none of this seems to have affected Maduro - and following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the resulting rift between Russia and North America and Europe, the international geopolitical situation has changed. The world is more desperate for oil than ever; and a vast quantity of oil is lying dormant underground in Venezuela.

Cuba Forced into Rationing as US Sanctions and Venezuela Crisis Bite

THE GUARDIAN: Commerce minister announces limits on purchases of staples such as chicken, eggs, rice, beans and soap

The Cuban government has announced that it is launching widespread rationing of chicken, eggs, rice, beans, soap and other basic products in the face of a grave economic crisis.

Betsy Díaz Velázquez, the commerce minister, told the state-run Cuban News Agency that various forms of rationing would be employed in order to deal with shortages of staple foods. She blamed the hardening of the US trade embargo by the Trump administration.

Economists give equal or greater blame to a plunge in aid from Venezuela, where the collapse of the state-run oil company has led to a nearly two-thirds cut in shipments of subsidised fuel that Cuba used for power and to earn hard currency on the open market. » | Agencies | Saturday, May 11, 2019

Economist Jeffrey Sachs: US Policy in Venezuela Is "Pure Bullying"

US foreign policy on Venezuela, spearheaded by Elliott Abrams and John Bolton, is "pure bullying," says leading economist Jeffrey Sachs. "It is hard enough to achieve economic progress, but when the US is using its political power to break other countries, the results absolutely can be devastating."

The American Destruction of Venezuela - The Real Story

Did America create hyperinflation in Venezula to start a Coup and undermine the Maduro Government.

New Oil Sanctions on Venezuela: "Would Destroy What's Left of Its Economy"

National Security Advisor John Bolton announced that the US will freeze Venezuelan assets and block oil payments for Venezuelan oil imports to the US. This would not only be illegal, but would also be yet another crippling blow to the country, says CEPR's Mark Weisbrot

Venezuela Gold: Bank of England ‘No Longer Neutral Player’ – Richard Wolff

Economist and co-founder of Democracy at Work Prof. Richard Wolff joins News.Views.Hughes to discuss the freezing of Venezuelan funds in the Bank of England amid the deepening political crisis in Caracas. He says the Bank of England’s decision is a signal to all countries out of step with US interests to withdraw their money, as the Bank has shown itself to be “under the thumb of the United States.” He also opines on the “horrific prospects” of regime change in Venezuela.