Relationship between Rodríguez and Trump undoubtedly one of controlpublished at 19:47 BST
19:47 BST
Ione Wells
North America Correspondent
Image source, ReutersImage caption,
Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez took up her position after Nicolás Maduro was seized by US forces
Also on the sidelines at the United Nations, President Trump is expected to hold his first in-person meeting with Venezuela’s acting leader Delcy Rodríguez.
“Colonialism”, “surrender”, “a puppet government”: it’s described in multiple ways, but the relationship between Rodríguez and Trump is undoubtedly one of control.
The fate of Rodríguez’s predecessor Nicolás Maduro looms over her, nowhere more so than in New York where he is locked up in prison across the river from the United Nations.
That she could face a similar fate means she has given Trump’s administration exactly what it wants.
The US now collects revenue from Venezuela’s oil revenues and controls what it can be spent on in Venezuela, which includes teacher salaries and medical supplies.
The US has also taken a large stake in a private firm called North American Blue Energy Partners, owned by a Venezuelan businessman who faces multiple corruption allegations that he denies.
The joint venture has been given 100-year rights over seventeen oil fields, containing about 65 billion barrels of oil.
The US also has the right to purchase 20% of its production, and first refusal of the rest.
But Rodríguez has something to gain from this one-sided relationship.
The more Trump endorses her, the more assets she hands over, the more indispensable she becomes to the Trump administration, and the less likely it is the US will rush to push for elections in US-backed talks between the government and opposition parties.
That, for unelected Delcy Rodríguez, means holding onto power for now.