Venezuelan opposition members are uneasy with new oil deals with the U.S., worried that agreements with authoritarian regime in Caracas could undermine democratic progress. The blockbuster oil deal between the United States and Venezuela that was announced last week has opposition leaders in Venezuela treading a fine line. They fear the agreement could help Venezuela's authoritarian regime stay in power, but opposing it could anger the Trump administration, which in effect now calls the shots in Venezuela.
For more, here's reporter John Otis. JOHN OTIS, BYLINE: The agreement would give the U.S. government majority control over 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves. OTIS: At a Caracas news conference on Wednesday, Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, said the agreement could bring badly needed foreign investment to the country's ailing oil industry.
But many Venezuelans view Rodriguez as an illegitimate president. Until her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, was captured by the U.S. military in January, she had served as his loyal vice president. Rodriguez fully supported Maduro's repressive tactics, including his stealing of the 2024 presidential election.
Today, her government holds more than 300 political prisoners. MARÍA CORINA MACHADO: (Speaking Spanish). OTIS: Citing such authoritarian behavior, María Corina Machado, Venezuela's main opposition leader, says she has profound concerns about the oil deal.
OTIS: "Economic development is impossible without solid institutions and a government elected by the people," Machado said in a video posted on social media. However, Machado, who wants to be Venezuela's next president, was careful not to criticize the oil agreement itself. She covets good relations with the Trump administration, which following the removal of Maduro, oversees Venezuela as a vassal state.
DAVID SMILDE: Nobody really who is aiming for political power has come out against this agreement. OTIS: That's David Smilde, a Venezuela scholar at Tulane University. SMILDE: They all know that doing so would basically mean they have no political possibility in the next coming years under Trump.
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