Venezuela’s president said in an interview on New Year’s Day that his country is willing to accept US investment in the oil sector, cooperate in the fight against the drug trade and hold serious talks with .
“We have to start talking seriously, with the facts in hand,” Maduro said in his annual interview with a Spanish journalist, which was first published in the Mexican newspaper La Jornada and broadcast on Venezuelan state television on New Year’s Day.
“If they want to talk seriously about an agreement to fight drug trafficking, we’re ready… If they want Venezuela’s oil, Venezuela is ready to accept US investment, like Chevron’s, whenever, wherever and however they want to make it.”
The comments echo Maduro’s earlier statements about his willingness to meditate with him, even as the U.S. president has stepped up pressure on Maduro — including expanded sanctions, a beefed-up U.S. military presence in the region and more than two dozen attacks on ships allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Maduro said the pressure is an attempt to gain control of Venezuela’s vast natural resources. “What is the goal of the United States? They have said it,” Maduro said in the interview. “To grab all of Venezuela’s oil… the gold, the rare metals.”
Maduro insists that the drugs do not come from his country
Trump said this week that it was used to load drugs, but did not provide details on its location. Maduro did not confirm the attack in the interview, but said he might discuss the issue in the coming days.
“What I can say is that our national defense system, which combines civilian, military and police forces, has guaranteed and will guarantee the country’s territorial integrity (and) peace,” Maduro said. A blog linked to Venezuela’s ruling party said this week that the site of the attack was a narrow strip of coast on the La Guajira peninsula.
Maduro has denied US accusations that his country is a narco-state. He said the cocaine smuggled into the region comes from neighboring Colombia and that Venezuela has “the perfect model” for fighting drug trafficking.
Sanctions cut oil exports in half
US sanctions and recent tanker seizures have halved Venezuela’s normal oil export rate, although US major Chevron, which has a special license from the United States to export oil from Venezuela, has continued exports.
Foreign exchange flows to Venezuela’s private sector are expected to decline due to a decline in oil exports, fueling inflation and exacerbating already difficult economic conditions for Venezuelans. The bolivar currency depreciated by 83% during 2025.
Venezuela’s international bonds that have been declared in default are trading at very low levels, although their price has almost doubled since Trump took office in January 2025, fueled by hopes of a change in government.
