Trump ally defends Venezuela oil deal amid ‘gunpoint diplomacy’ criticism
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright is defending a controversial new oil deal with Venezuela, claiming it transforms relations rather than exploiting the country. Critics, including the Wall Street Journal, have compared the deal to unethical business practices with a foreign dictator.
Why it matters
The deal represents a major shift in US energy policy and foreign relations, raising ethical and geopolitical concerns regarding the legitimacy of the Venezuelan leadership.
Chris Wright arrives on a visit to Venezuela on Tuesday night. Chris Wright arrives on a visit to Venezuela on Tuesday night. Venezuela Trump ally defends Venezuela oil deal amid ‘gunpoint diplomacy’ criticism Energy secretary Chris Wright denies US seeks to ‘take’ country’s oil, saying deal is ‘transformation’ of relations
Prefer the Guardian on Google The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, has denied Washington is seeking to commandeer huge quantities of Venezuelan oil, amid growing criticism of Donald Trump’s energy deal with the country’s interim leaders.
“Absolutely not,” Wright replied when asked by a CNBC journalist if the US was engaged in a “heavy-handed” attempt to “take” Venezuelan oil in violation of the South American country’s constitution.
Wright landed in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, on Tuesday night, four days after Trump announced what he called “the biggest oil deal in world history”.
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