New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a significant telephone conversation with Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Friday, agreeing to deepen and expand bilateral ties across multiple sectors amid dramatic geopolitical shifts in Caracas.
In a post on X, PM Modi shared, “Spoke with Acting President of Venezuela, Ms Delcy Rodríguez. We agreed to further deepen and expand our bilateral partnership in all areas, with a shared vision of taking India-Venezuela relations to new heights in the years ahead.”
The leaders focused on strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, energy, digital technology, health, agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges.
The call assumes added importance following the US military’s bold Operation Absolute Resolve on January 3, which saw American forces capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas. The pair was flown to New York to face narco-terrorism and related charges, prompting Rodríguez’s ascension as acting president.
This development has reshaped Venezuela’s oil landscape, with the US now controlling exports and marketing Venezuelan crude under strict conditions. US Energy Secretary Christopher Wright recently indicated plans to sell stored Venezuelan oil (30-50 million barrels) and future production, with proceeds directed through US oversight to stabilise the sector and open it for foreign investment.
For India, the timing is strategic. Facing US tariffs — including 25% reciprocal duties and additional levies tied to Russian oil purchases — New Delhi is exploring alternatives. Washington has signalled it may permit India to resume Venezuelan crude imports under a US-managed framework, potentially reviving stalled trade and diversifying energy sources away from Russia.
The dialogue underscores India’s deft navigation of global energy security, trade pressures, and shifting alliances in a volatile world order.