Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez has forcefully rejected suggestions that the South American nation could become the 51st state of the United States, pushing back against comments attributed to President Donald Trump that have reignited fears of growing US political and economic influence over the oil-rich country.
Speaking outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday, Rodriguez declared that Venezuela’s sovereignty was “non-negotiable” and insisted the country would never abandon its independence despite Washington’s expanding role in Venezuelan affairs following the dramatic political upheaval earlier this year.
“It is out of the question and it never will be,” Rodriguez told reporters. “If there is one thing Venezuelans have, it is love for our independence process. We will continue to defend our integrity, sovereignty, and independence.”
The remarks came after Fox News reported that Trump had privately said he was “seriously considering” making Venezuela part of the United States, comments that immediately triggered backlash across Latin America and among political observers concerned about escalating US ambitions in the region.
Rodriguez’s response reflected growing anxiety inside Caracas over Washington’s increasingly assertive posture toward Venezuela following the January US military operation that led to the Maduro’s removal and capture of former President Nicolas Maduro. Since then, the Trump administration has significantly deepened diplomatic, security, and energy cooperation with Venezuela’s interim leadership under Rodriguez.
The controversy also unfolded against the backdrop of Venezuela’s high-stakes legal battle with neighboring Guyana over the oil-rich Essequibo region, one of the world’s fastest emerging energy frontiers after massive offshore petroleum discoveries transformed Guyana into a major oil producer.
Addressing judges at the International Court of Justice, Rodriguez defended Venezuela’s historic claim to Essequibo and argued that negotiations, rather than international judicial rulings, should determine the territory’s future. Caracas has repeatedly accused foreign powers of exploiting the territorial dispute to gain strategic access to the region’s vast natural resources.
The Essequibo dispute has become deeply intertwined with wider geopolitical competition in Latin America as the US moves to secure influence over critical oil and mineral reserves while countering growing Russian and Chinese economic activity across the region.
The growing confrontation between Caracas and Washington comes as geopolitical tensions reshape debates around US foreign policy, BRICS influence, and resource-driven conflicts across Latin America.
Trump’s reported remarks have further fueled accusations that Washington’s Venezuela strategy is increasingly tied to energy interests. Since Maduro’s removal, the Trump administration has moved aggressively to restore diplomatic ties with Caracas while simultaneously expanding cooperation in the oil sector.
In recent months, US officials including Energy Secretary Chris Wright and senior intelligence and military representatives have traveled to Caracas to discuss oil production, sanctions relief, mining investment, and security cooperation with Rodriguez’s government.
Washington formally recognized Rodriguez as Venezuela’s legitimate authority in March, reopening the US embassy in Caracas and restoring diplomatic relations for the first time since 2019.
Critics inside and outside Venezuela argue the rapid rapprochement has strengthened perceptions that the US intervention was motivated less by democratic concerns and more by control over Venezuela’s oil wealth, estimated among the largest reserves in the world.
Trump himself has repeatedly highlighted Venezuela’s energy potential. According to media reports, he referenced the country’s oil reserves while discussing the possibility of statehood and praised what he described as improving cooperation with Caracas.
The idea of Venezuela becoming part of the United States was initially raised jokingly by Trump during the World Baseball Classic in March after Venezuela defeated Italy in the semifinals. At the time, Trump suggested that “good things” were happening to Venezuela and hinted at “statehood.”
But the latest reports indicating Trump was “seriously considering” the idea appear to have crossed a political line for Venezuelan officials eager to project national autonomy despite their increasingly pragmatic relationship with Washington.
Rodriguez attempted to balance diplomatic cooperation with nationalist rhetoric, saying Venezuela remains open to engagement with the United States while rejecting any suggestion of political absorption.
“President Trump knows we are working on a diplomatic agenda of cooperation,” she said. “That is how we see our path.”
Her comments underscore the delicate position of Venezuela’s interim government, which has sought international legitimacy and economic recovery while facing accusations from critics that it has conceded too much influence to Washington since Maduro’s fall.
The political transition has already transformed Venezuela’s energy sector. Rodriguez signed sweeping reforms earlier this year ending the monopoly of state oil giant PDVSA and opening oil production to private foreign investment, including from US companies.
The reforms coincided with partial easing of US sanctions and new energy agreements aimed at reviving Venezuela’s collapsing oil infrastructure.
For many across Latin America, however, Trump’s comments about annexation revived painful memories of historic US interventions, occupations, and resource-driven operations throughout the hemisphere.
Analysts warn that even symbolic rhetoric about absorbing another sovereign nation risks inflaming anti-American sentiment at a moment when Washington is attempting to rebuild influence across Latin America amid growing Chinese, Russian, and BRICS engagement in the Global South.
Rodriguez appeared aware of those sensitivities as she delivered her blunt rejection from The Hague.
“Venezuela is not a colony,” she said. “It is a free country.”
—Inputs from Sputnik.
