Trump’s Venezuela Oil Deal Could Reshape Guyana’s Oil and Security Landscape

The agreement, announced Friday, is designed to revive Venezuela’s battered oil industry through U.S. investment and private-sector participation. Trump said the United States had secured majority control of the reserves through a partnership with private business, while Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez said the agreement covers 17 strategic oil fields and has a target of more than 1.5 million barrels per day.

For Guyana, the most immediate question is whether a deeper U.S. economic stake in Venezuela will strengthen Washington’s interest in preventing renewed tensions over Essequibo.

Guyana has long argued that Venezuela’s claim to the region cannot threaten Guyana’s sovereignty or its offshore oil operations. At the same time, ExxonMobil, a major U.S. company, remains the operator of Guyana’s Stabroek Block, where oil production has expanded rapidly. ExxonMobil says it has made more than 30 discoveries offshore Guyana since 2015.