Trump and Venezuela’s Rodríguez Meet in New York Without a Deal
VENEZUELA · DIPLOMACY
Key Facts
- —The country. Venezuela has 28.6 million people and lives almost entirely on oil. Delcy Rodríguez has been acting president since January 2026, installed by the Supreme Tribunal after US forces removed Nicolás Maduro, and her legitimacy is disputed.
- —The money. The currency is the bolívar, at about 852 to the US dollar at the central bank rate and about 950 on the parallel market. Much of daily life is priced in US dollars instead.
- —The background. US sanctions on Venezuela remain in force, and the state oil company PDVSA is still a designated entity. Any relief runs through general licences issued by the US Treasury, which can be narrowed or withdrawn. An oil accord covering about 65 billion barrels was signed on 2 September 2026.
- —What happened. On the evening of 22 September 2026 the two spoke privately at the Lotte New York Palace hotel. It was a pull-aside on the margins of a reception, not a formal session. Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent, Susie Wiles and Stephen Miller were with Trump.
- —What is new. Rodríguez called it a historic meeting and listed energy, mining and security as topics. That word came from her, not from Washington: the White House confirmed who attended but issued no readout, and there was no joint statement and no signed document.
- —What it means for you. Nothing in the rulebook changed today. If you have money or business exposed to Venezuela, the sanctions and the PDVSA designation still stand, so read the licence texts rather than the photographs.
- —The catch. Neither government has said how long the conversation lasted, and neither published an agenda or a transcript. The two sides also describe the oil accord differently, Washington speaking of concessions of roughly a hundred years and Caracas of twenty-five.
This story is part of our coverage of the Venezuela US tensions. Who runs Venezuela, the US sanctions and oil deals, the Maduro case and the odds are in our dossier.
Venezuela’s acting president called it historic. The White House named the officials in the room, then said nothing about what was agreed.
The Trump Delcy Rodríguez meeting took place on Tuesday evening, 22 September 2026, at the Lotte New York Palace hotel. The two leaders spoke on the margins of a reception, not in a formal bilateral session.
What Happened at the Reception
Trump hosted a reception for visiting leaders at the Lotte New York Palace on Tuesday. Rodríguez was among the guests, and the two spoke privately.
The White House had placed the encounter on the president’s schedule for 7:40 pm. It was listed as a pull-aside, the most informal kind of presidential meeting.
No reporters were allowed in. A photograph issued by Venezuela’s presidency showed the two standing together and smiling.
Trump met Ukraine’s president on camera the same evening. The Venezuela conversation was given no such public moment.
Who Was in the Room
A White House official named the US side. It included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles also took part. So did Stephen Miller, assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy.
Venezuela’s foreign minister, Félix Plasencia, accompanied Rodríguez. He had held his own talks with a senior US State Department official in New York this week.
Her delegation also included the oil minister and officials from the state oil company PDVSA. Their task in New York was to present Venezuela as open to investment.
Rodríguez was in the United States for the first time since taking office. In New York she also met the heads of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
She met United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on 21 September at the organisation’s headquarters. Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, also spoke with her in New York.
What the Trump Delcy Rodríguez Meeting Means for Expats and Investors
The Trump Delcy Rodríguez meeting changes nothing in the rulebook today. US sanctions on Venezuela remain in force, and PDVSA is still a designated entity.
Relief runs through general licences issued by the US Treasury, which can be narrowed or withdrawn. Recent ones cover coal, minerals and gold, and telecommunications.
Venezuela amended its hydrocarbons law on 29 January 2026. The state’s minimum share of joint ventures fell from 60% to 50.1%, and royalties were capped at 30%.
Anyone with exposure to Venezuela should read the licence texts rather than the headlines. A warm photograph is not a legal authorisation.
What is not known is whether any of this shifts after New York. No US official has signalled a change to the sanctions framework.
The Oil Accord Behind the Handshake
The substantive business was done before New York. On 2 September 2026, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Rodríguez signed an accord covering about 65 billion barrels.
In his United Nations speech on Tuesday, Trump called it “the largest oil deal in history, covering 65 billion barrels of oil”.
The two sides still do not describe the deal the same way. Washington has spoken of concessions running roughly a hundred years; Caracas says twenty-five.
The US Defence Department’s strategic capital office holds a 35% stake in the operating venture. It also has the right to buy a fifth of output at cost.
Output is still small. Three existing joint ventures produced around 124,000 barrels a day in late August 2026, against a target of 1.5 million.
What Was Said, and What Was Not
Rodríguez published her account within hours. She said they “held a historic meeting” and had discussed energy, mining, security “and other matters of common interest”.
Her statement went out on her official accounts and was carried by Venezuelan state media. The presidency described a working agenda, not a concluded negotiation.
She also thanked Washington for relief after the earthquakes of 24 June 2026. She credited it with supporting Venezuela’s return to multilateral bodies.
The word historic came from her, not from the United States. No American official has used it about this encounter.
The White House confirmed who attended but issued no readout. By Wednesday there was still no joint statement and no announced follow-up.
Neither government has said how long the conversation lasted. Both released photographs afterwards, and neither published an agenda or a transcript.
A Thaw With Sharp Edges
US forces seized Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on Saturday, 3 January 2026. He was detained together with his wife.
He is held in a federal jail in Brooklyn on narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial has not begun.
Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal then named Rodríguez acting president under article 233 of the constitution. She was sworn in on 5 January 2026. She was never elected to the office, and her legitimacy is disputed: Maduro and Rodríguez herself both maintain that he remains the lawful officeholder.
While she was in New York, opposition leader María Corina Machado tried three times to fly home. Venezuelan authorities blocked every attempt within 24 hours.
Rodríguez is due to address the General Assembly on Wednesday, 23 September 2026. That speech, rather than the reception, will show how far this opening reaches.
More: Venezuela news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Trump and Delcy Rodríguez sign anything in New York?
No. The White House named who attended but published no readout, and neither side announced a document.
Are US sanctions on Venezuela being lifted?
Not so far. PDVSA remains designated, and relief still runs through Treasury general licences that can be withdrawn.
What should investors watch next?
A US readout, new or amended general licences, and Rodríguez’s General Assembly speech on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.
Connected Coverage
Why Trump’s Planned Meeting With Venezuela’s Acting Leader Matters
Venezuela to Get an IMF Office in Caracas in 2027, Fund Chief Says
Sources: Venezuelan presidency via Radio Nacional de Venezuela, 23 September 2026; White House official cited by Reuters; Trump’s UN General Assembly address, 22 September 2026; Anadolu Agency; MercoPress; Infobae; US Treasury OFAC; US State Department; CSIS.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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