Key facts
- President Donald Trump met with Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Tuesday.
- The meeting occurred on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- Rodriguez is Venezuela's interim president following the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
- Trump has sought investment deals for Venezuela's oil industry.
- Protesters gathered outside the UN demanding free elections in Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump met with Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Tuesday, September 22, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The meeting, scheduled for 7:40 p.m. local time, was the first between the two leaders since American forces captured Nicolas Maduro in January. Rodriguez, who served as Maduro's vice president, became interim leader after his ouster and is attending the UNGA for the first time since taking office. She is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Wednesday.
The Venezuelan delegation, including officials from the state oil company PDVSA, is focused on making the country appear "investable." Trump has expressed interest in securing investment deals for Venezuela's oil industry, the largest in the world, and recently signed an oil deal granting the US control of about one-fifth of its reserves. Rodriguez also met with executives from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank, which is working to secure a $2.5 billion loan for Venezuela.
During his address to the General Assembly earlier on Tuesday, Trump labeled Maduro an "outlaw dictator" and highlighted the US's "unmatched military might" in protecting its interests. Meanwhile, a group of Venezuelan protesters gathered outside the UN, calling for free elections and criticizing Rodriguez's presence, with some holding signs such as "No Vote No Oil" and "New Face, Same Regime."