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🇵🇦 Panama /Elections & Politics

Venezuela needs far more than money, opposition leader Machado says after US deal

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • María Corina Machado said Venezuela’s oil sector represents only one part of the country’s broader reconstruction, which she said requires enormous investment.
  • Her comments followed a deal under which the United States would receive 20% of Venezuela’s oil reserves and control crude from 17 fields, while Venezuela expects $209 billion in benefits over 25 years.
  • Machado supports cooperation with Washington but says investment must follow transparency, legality and efficiency under a legitimate democratic government.

“Venezuela needs much more than money,” María Corina Machado said after the United States and Venezuela’s interim government reached an unprecedented oil agreement.

Venezuela needs much more than money.

· María Corina MachadoMachado said the oil agreement alone could not address Venezuela’s broader reconstruction needs.

In a video recorded in exile and posted on X, the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner said the petroleum industry represented only one part of the country’s “immense reconstruction.” That reconstruction, she said, would require “colossal investments.”

“In a country with Venezuela’s size and institutional fragility, no sector can function in isolation,” Machado said. She argued that the country’s natural resources should belong to the Venezuelan people, not what she called an illegitimate regime. “The enemies of the United States in Venezuela are today in Miraflores,” she added, referring to the presidential palace.

The oil sector is only one part of the immense reconstruction in Venezuela.

· María Corina MachadoMachado described the limits of focusing on petroleum investment.

US President Donald Trump announced the deal the previous week, describing it as historic. Under the agreement, the United States would receive 20% of Venezuela’s huge oil reserves and control 65 billion barrels of crude across 17 fields. Venezuela says it expects to gain $209 billion over 25 years.

In a country with Venezuela’s size and institutional fragility, no sector can function in isolation.

· María Corina MachadoMachado argued that Venezuela needs investment and functioning institutions across multiple sectors.

Machado defended an alliance with the United States, but said it must operate “under the non-negotiable principles of absolute transparency, legality and efficiency.” She said that could happen only with the legitimacy and stability provided by a serious, democratic government. Her opposition movement disputes the result of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, alleging fraud and claiming victory for Edmundo González, whom Machado backed. She had been barred from standing as a candidate.

The enemies of the United States in Venezuela are today in Miraflores.

· María Corina MachadoMachado referred to Venezuela’s presidential palace while criticizing the government’s legitimacy.
About this summary

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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