(AFP) – US President Donald Trump and Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez met in person for the first time on Tuesday and discussed topics like energy and security, she said.
Rodriguez, who is set to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, is the first Venezuelan head of state to visit since deposed president Nicolas Maduro was captured in a US military raid in January. Rodriguez described the meeting on the sidelines of the assembly in the US as “historic” in a message on X, posted alongside a photo of the two leaders smiling.
She said they discussed “strengthening the bilateral relationship between our countries and moving forward with a cooperation agenda in strategic areas such as energy, mining, and security.” Several US officials attended the meeting in addition to Trump, including top advisor Stephen Miller, chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a White House official said.
Rodriguez was Venezuela’s vice president under Maduro, but has so far cooperated with Washington’s demands, including granting US access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, the largest in the world.
Trump mentioned Venezuela during his address at the UN on Tuesday, saying: “When you add the United States and Venezuela together, we have more than 60 percent of the oil in the world.” “To the victor belong the spoils,” he added.
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