Maduro Invites U.S. Investment in Venezuela’s Oil Sector, Denounces Migrant Deal Suspension
On New Year’s Day, in an interview recorded on December 31 and broadcast on January 1, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro signaled an unusually conciliatory tone toward Washington amid intense bilateral tensions. Speaking with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet while driving through Caracas, Maduro insisted that Caracas was prepared to receive U.S. investment in Venezuela’s oil sector and to supply crude “whenever, wherever, and however they want,” referencing potential deals similar to the limited operations Chevron has maintained in the country. He framed this openness as part of a willingness to engage in “serious” negotiations with the U.S. government if there was “rationality and diplomacy” on the part of Washington.
Maduro reiterated that his government has the “maturity and stature” to strike comprehensive agreements with the United States, emphasizing Venezuela as “a people of its word” in negotiating serious deals. He linked this offer both to cooperation on oil and to broader talks on issues such as drug trafficking, urging Washington to begin dialogue based on facts.
In the same interview, Maduro criticized the U.S. for unilaterally suspending a migrant repatriation agreement that had been in place. He asserted that U.S. authorities stopped sending Venezuelan citizens back to Venezuela under the previously agreed plan and simply “stopped sending any more,” attributing the cessation to Washington’s actions rather than Venezuelan decisions.
Maduro also pushed back against U.S. accusations linking his administration to criminal activity. He dismissed such claims as false, comparing them to the pre-Iraq War justification of weapons of mass destruction — a narrative he said the United States knew was untrue.
On security matters, Maduro defended what he described as an effective model for combating drug trafficking, claiming Venezuelan forces had neutralized their 40th foreign aircraft allegedly involved in drug trafficking this year and asserting that all cocaine moving through the region was produced in neighboring Colombia — a country he said lacked adequate border security.
These remarks came just days before he was kidnapped by U.S. Delta forces on January 3, 2026, violating international laws, marking a dramatic turn in U.S.–Venezuela relations and making this interview one of his final public statements before his detention.
5th January 2026
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