HOUSTON, TEXAS — Venezuela is participating this week in G20 energy ministerial meetings in Houston as a special guest, despite not being a member of the group — a striking diplomatic gesture from Washington that formalizes — and legitimizes — on a global stage, just how far U.S.-Venezuela relations have shifted since Nicolás Maduro’s capture in January.
The United States, which holds the G20’s rotating presidency this year, opened a series of energy ministerial meetings on Monday, September 15, running through Wednesday in Houston, Texas — the U.S. state widely regarded as the world’s energy capital.
The gathering, organized around the theme of “energy abundance,” brings together delegations from the G20’s largest economies, including China, India, Japan, Germany, Canada, and Saudi Arabia, with Russia also expected to participate.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed that Venezuela would attend alongside G20 member countries, describing the moment in geopolitical terms: “This is about the geopolitical center of oil moving out of the Middle East.”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who has played a central role in Washington’s energy dealings with Caracas, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin are also attending.
The ministerial serves as a lead-up to the main G20 leaders’ summit, which Trump will convene in December — in Miami.
Why Venezuela, and Why Now?
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity since the full delegate roster had not been released, said the administration believes Venezuela needs to be part of global conversations on energy abundance and security.
The official noted that because Houston hosts many of the oil and mining firms already in talks over potential business in Venezuela, the country’s presence at the ministerial could help facilitate further dealmaking.
The Spanish news agency EFE interpreted Venezuela’s invitation as a clear marker of the diplomatic realignment Caracas has undergone since the start of the year.
The Deal Behind the Invitation
Venezuela’s inclusion follows directly from the oil agreement Trump announced August 28, which he described as “historic.” Under the arrangement, the United States gains control tied to 17 Venezuelan oil fields with an estimated production potential of 65 billion barrels, granted through 100-year concessions to North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) — a private venture in which the U.S. government holds a 35% stake and the right to purchase 20% of its crude output from Venezuelan fields at cost.
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at more than 303 billion barrels as of the end of 2024 according to OPEC’s own statistical bulletin, though its actual output remains far below that scale: OPEC put average 2024 production at roughly 921,000 barrels per day, while the International Energy Agency’s August 2026 report projected Venezuelan output would reach approximately 1.12 million barrels per day by year's end.
A Summit Shaped by the War With Iran
The Houston meetings are unfolding against a volatile backdrop: Trump’s ongoing war against Iran has disrupted global fuel markets and driven soaring energy prices, a dynamic that has added real political urgency to the summit’s “energy abundance” framing.
That pressure on global prices carries direct political stakes for Trump’s own party, given Republican concerns about the toll rising costs could take heading into November’s midterm elections.
Burgum emphasized that Houston’s discussions would focus on increasing production and refining capacity, drawing a contrast with what he characterized as shutdowns during the Biden administration.
Friction With European Allies
Russia’s participation in the Houston talks has drawn open discontent from Ukraine’s European allies, adding to frustration that had already surfaced two weeks earlier when Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attended a separate G20 meeting.
The pattern reflects a broader tension building between Washington’s approach — prioritizing direct access to energy resources over more traditional geopolitical alignment — and the expectations of its Atlantic bloc partners, who have watched the administration engage Russia and Venezuela simultaneously even as both relationships remain fraught on other fronts.
The same week Venezuela’s government delegation appears in Houston, opposition leader María Corina Machado — the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who leads Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement — is expected to speak separately at CERAWeek by S&P Global, the energy industry’s largest annual conference, also held in Houston.
Machado has worked to shape the Trump administration’s approach to Venezuela’s political future since U.S. forces captured Maduro and Washington assumed control of the country’s oil sales in January. Her appearance alongside, but functionally separate from the official Venezuelan government delegation underscores how thoroughly Venezuela’s oil diplomacy and its unresolved democratic transition continue to run on different courses — a dynamic we’ve covered extensively as it has played out across Caracas dialogue sessions, Washington meetings, and now dueling appearances in the same American city.
With the Houston ministerial running through Wednesday and Trump’s full G20 leaders’ summit set for December in Miami, Venezuela’s participation this week functions as an early marker of how central the country has become to Washington’s broader energy strategy for the hemisphere.
Whether that economic centrality continues to outpace progress on Venezuela’s political transition — the same pattern observed throughout 2026, from the Caracas dialogue process to the still-unscheduled question of new elections — will likely become clearer as the relationship’s economic and diplomatic tracks continue advancing at their current, distinctly different speeds.
