Machado questions legitimacy of US-Venezuela oil deal

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has publicly questioned the legitimacy of a massive oil agreement between the United States and Venezuela's interim government, arguing that the country's natural resources do not belong to what she calls an "illegitimate regime." Her comments, made in a video statement on Thursday, September 3, 2026, mark her first significant public reaction to the deal, which U.S. President Donald Trump announced the previous Friday as "the biggest oil deal in world history." The agreement, signed on Wednesday, September 2, grants the United States access to more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, representing nearly 20% of the country's proven reserves. Venezuela holds the largest proven crude oil reserves globally, estimated at around 303 billion barrels. The deal was celebrated as historic by Trump and Venezuelan interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, who took power in January after U.S. forces ousted President Nicolas Maduro. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveled to Venezuela for the signing, which involved oil major Chevron, GE Vernova, and Italy's ENI.