Venezuela’s president will travel to India next week to discuss selling oil, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, an unusual announcement of a foreign leader’s travel that shows the new US influence over Caracas.
Rubio mentioned the trip by interim President Delcy Rodriguez, in power since US forces deposed Nicolas Maduro in January, as the top US diplomat left on his own trip that will take him to India starting Saturday.
With India’s growing economy hit by the chaos set off by the US and Israeli attack on Iran, Rubio said, “We want to sell them as much energy as they’ll buy.”
“We also think there’s opportunities with Venezuelan oil. In fact, it’s my understanding that the interim president of Venezuela will be traveling to India next week as well,” he said.
“There’s a lot to work on with India. They’re a great ally, a great partner.”
Rodriguez, while publicly critical of the operation that snatched Maduro, a leftist nemesis of Washington, has won praise from President Donald Trump for cooperating with the United States, including by assisting oil companies.
Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
Rodriguez made her first foreign trip as interim president earlier this month to The Hague to defend Venezuela’s claims in a territorial dispute with Guyana before the International Court of Justice.
She has longstanding ties with India as a follower of the late guru Sathya Sai Baba. She is known to have visited his ashram in southern India at least twice in recent years while serving as vice president.
India imports nearly half of its energy needs and most of its oil. It was a major customer of Iran until Trump in his first term threatened US sanctions against any third country that buys from Iran.
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