U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a gathering of leading oil and gas industry executives at the White House, where he pledged strong security assurances for American companies considering operations in Venezuela following its political upheaval. The meeting comes as Trump seeks to attract private sector investment into the South American nation’s vast energy sector.
Trump welcomed nearly two dozen senior executives, describing the gathering as an opportunity to rebuild economic ties and emphasised the strategic role of Venezuelan energy resources. He argued that with the departure of Nicolás Maduro, the United States and Venezuela could forge a future with closer economic integration between two of the Western Hemisphere’s largest energy producers.
Addressing industry leaders, Trump stressed that companies investing in Venezuela would deal directly with the U.S. rather than with the country’s previous regime, offering “total safety and security” for their operations. “It’s a whole different Venezuela,” he said, underlining the shift in approach following recent events.
Trump also claimed that U.S. expertise and capital were instrumental in developing Venezuela’s oil industry in the past and vowed to reclaim value from assets he said were long “stolen.” He highlighted that major American oil firms are planning to invest at least $100 billion of their own funds to modernise Venezuela’s ageing oil infrastructure, without relying on government financing.
Vice President J.D. Vance, accompanying Trump at the meeting, said the initiative would boost U.S. wealth and power, enhance national security, and contribute to a reduction in drug overdose deaths across the United States.
Trump responded to questions from reporters by assuring that companies committing to Venezuelan ventures would receive robust security guarantees. On Venezuela’s interim leadership under Delcy Rodríguez, he described current relations as friendly and expressed confidence that cooperation would continue, while also making clear that U.S. interests exclude influence from nations such as Russia and China.
The White House discussions follow a dramatic U.S. military-led operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. In the aftermath, Maduro has been charged in the United States with drug trafficking and narco-terrorism-related offences and is currently facing trial.
As the U.S. deepens its involvement in Venezuela’s energy sector, Trump’s administration is positioning American oil firms to play a central role in reviving the country’s crude production and infrastructure, signalling a significant shift in U.S. policy toward the oil-rich but long-troubled nation
