The industry has long prioritized projects with quick and reliable payback. Trump is pushing for a return to risk.

Noting the US is a nuclear power, the interim president said she was not afraid to engage in diplomacy, saying "we have to go together as Venezuelans to defend sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and also defend our dignity and our honour".

Latin America’s vast natural resources have been a draw for U.S. interests across history and industries—from Alexander Hamilton to President Donald Trump, and from Ford Motor to Exxon Mobil. For more than two centuries,

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday called for warmer diplomatic relations with the U.S. and advocated for opening her country’s oil industry to foreign investors in the wake of President Trump’s decision to take control of Venezuela’s oil.

Donald Trump announced the US has agreed to take 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela for $5.2 billion. He cited a 'great relationship' with the new interim government after Nicolas Maduro's capture and plans for US firms to fix the oil infrastructure.

See how President Donald Trump’s capture of Maduro and control of Venezuela’s oil sales could affect China, Cuba and the United States.

Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez used her first state of the union message Thursday to advocate for opening the crucial state-run oil industry to more foreign investment following the Trump administration's pledge to seize control of Venezuelan crude sales.

The pair discussed economic opportunities and preventing Venezuela becoming a place for "America's adversaries", a US official said.