The White House indicated that Venezuela could finalize new agreements with the U.S. oil industry this week, amid increasing energy cooperation between Washington and Caracas following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
Jarrod Agen, executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council at the White House, told CNBC that he expects some of those agreements to be signed by this Wednesday, when the G20 meetings on Energy taking place in Houston, Texas conclude, according to reports from EFE.
"That is one of the reasons why President Trump wanted a significant Venezuelan delegation here, to meet with our industry and our secretaries," Agen stated.
The official did not specify which companies would participate in the possible agreements.
The Venezuelan delegation is led by the Minister of Hydrocarbons, Paula Henao, and the Executive Vice President of PDVSA, Jovanny Martínez, who are participating in bilateral meetings and discussions with representatives from the energy industry.
Although Venezuela is not a member of the G20, it participates in the forum by invitation from the government of Donald Trump, the White House has confirmed. Its representatives do not attend the official closed-door ministerial meetings.
The Venezuelan presence in Houston comes just two weeks after Washington announced a comprehensive oil agreement with Caracas, granting the private company North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) rights to exploit 17 fields for 100 years, containing approximately 65 billion barrels of proven reserves, nearly one-fifth of Venezuela's reserves.
The agreement, whose negotiation Trump attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, also includes a 35% stake for the U.S. Department of Defense in NABEP's parent company, according to information released by the White House.
The approaches with Venezuela come as Washington seeks to increase supply and refining capacity amid tensions in the international market. WTI crude, the benchmark in the United States, closed at $105.83 per barrel on Tuesday, while U.S. refineries are operating almost at the limit of their available capacity.
The new oil landscape in Venezuela is also particularly significant for Cuba, which for years relied on crude oil supplies from Caracas.
Henao's visit to Houston is at least the third he has made this year, as part of the Venezuelan authorities' efforts to attract foreign investment to the oil sector following the political shift that occurred in the country at the beginning of 2026.
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