Venezuelan officials are due to take part in the G20 energy ministerial opening Monday in Houston, a White House official said, in the latest sign of a fast-moving rapprochement between Washington and Caracas.
Venezuela’s hydrocarbons minister, Paula Henao, and PDVSA executive vice president Jovanny Martínez are expected to attend, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the full delegation list had not been made public. Venezuela will not take part in the closed-door ministerial sessions but is set to join bilateral meetings, side events and industry discussions over the three-day gathering, which is being co-chaired by U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
As this year’s G20 chair, the U.S. has latitude to invite non-member countries as guests — a prerogative it has used at other 2026 gatherings, including inviting Poland to recent finance and innovation ministerials and allowing Russia’s participation despite European objections. Russian officials confirmed they, too, would send a delegation to Houston, a presence likely to draw fresh criticism from Ukraine’s European allies. Other attendees include delegations from China, India, Japan, Germany, Canada and Saudi Arabia.
Venezuela’s inclusion, despite not ranking among the world’s largest economies, reflects a broader realignment: the Trump administration has moved this year to draw Caracas back into the international energy fold, including a deal giving the U.S. a 35% stake in North American Blue Energy Partners and rights to purchase a fifth of its Venezuelan crude output at cost, from fields believed to hold roughly 65 billion barrels in reserves. The push comes as Middle East conflict continues to squeeze global oil supply, and as Washington looks to shift more of the industry’s center of gravity into the Western Hemisphere.
