Acting President Delcy Rodríguez walks a diplomatic tight rope as she concludes her 5 days India visit. She has to balance Russia, USA, China and India all at once in a new paradigm regime change in Venezuela after the dramatic operation Absolute Resolve to to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. In a highly strategic geopolitical maneuver, US Secretary of state Marco Rubio on 21st May announced her upcoming travel to India. Rubio’s disclosure attracted attention because such visits are typically announced by the countries involved rather than third parties. Breaking the diplomatic norms, Rucio explicitly demonstrated that Venezuelan crude is heavily linked to American economic strategy.
The U.S. heavily backing Delcy Rodríguez’s interim government and helped restructure Venezuela’s oil sales apparatus. He treated U.S. historic energy exports and Venezuelan oil as part of a single, unified American package to New Delhi, essentially signaling to the world that Washington now holds the keys to Venezuela’s energy tap.
Shailesh Kumarr, National Defence
New Delhi, 10th June 2026
In global power game, for acting President Delcy Rodríguez balancing USA, Russia and China is nothing less than walking a tight diplomatic rope as China is Venezuela’s banker and economic lifeline. Russia is Venezuela’s security and military lifeline. The United States is becoming Venezuela’s gateway back into global energy markets.
The timing of Rubio leaking itinerary of acting President Delcy Rodríguez to India was critical. With the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz for the past three months, Indian refiners have been scrambling for alternative crude sources. Additionally, the U.S. had just penalized India with tariffs over its continued purchase of Russian oil. By publicizing Rodríguez’s visit, Rubio tried forcing a public alternative onto India’s plate and that is — Stop buying Russian oil and Iranian oil, and look at the massive influx of U.S.-approved Venezuelan crude we are bringing to your doorstep.
Venezuela alone holds 17% of the entire world’s proven oil reserves a 303 billion barrels oil. Unlike the light and sweet crude found in Saudi Arabia or the US Permian Basin—which flows easily and is cheap to process—Venezuela’s oil is extra-heavy crude bitumen-like petroleum. It has the thickness of molasses. It does not naturally flow through pipes well without being blended with lighter oils or chemical solvents called diluents. It is highly sulfur-intensive.
Because it requires complex, high-conversion refineries to process it into gasoline or diesel, Venezuelan crude historically has to be sold at a $7 to $10 discount per barrel compared to global benchmarks like West Texas Intermediate. In the late 1990s, Venezuela was a powerhouse, pumping over 3 million barrels per day. By 2020, production plummeted to a decades-low of roughly 350,000 bpd. The 2026 Rebound: Following massive geopolitical shifts, including a changing political framework and heavier involvement from foreign corporations like Chevron, Repsol, and Indian PSUs, Venezuela has staged a fragile recovery. Production has stabilized just past 1.1 million bpd.
There was also a highly tactical, logistical reason Rubio spoke so early. Rodríguez was originally scheduled to visit New Delhi primarily to attend the India-led International Big Cat Alliance summit. However, due to the Ebola outbreak in Africa, India quietly postponed the summit just a day prior. Rubio spoke at Joint Base Andrews on the assumption that the trip was still fully on track. By locking the narrative in the press, the U.S. ensured that even if the summit was delayed, the geopolitical pressure on India to discuss the Venezuelan oil transition remained front-page news. Like Trump claiming multiple times to stop India Pakistan nuclear talks, Rubio’s deliberate leak was a display of Washington’s “superpower optics”—asserting themselves as the prime movers and dealmakers of global events.
It is all about oil and energy. Amid continued US threats of imposing tariffs if India trades oil with Russia or Iran. Venezuela has already been 3rd largest crude supplier of India. The Venezuelan energy sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation. So India and Venezuela realizes that it is in the interest of both nations to work in this sector. Due to new situation and unpredictability arose due to closure of Strait of Hormuz, it is pertinent to ask can Venezuela help India defeat the Hormuz risk? As the bonhomie between QUAD nation increasing post Marco Rubio’s India visit, containing Russian and Chinese influence in Venezuel is integral part of US geopolitical strategy.
China became Venezuela’s largest external financier during the Chávez and Maduro years. China has provided roughly $60- 67 billion in loans and financing packages over the past two decades. Venezuela became the largest recipient of Chinese lending in Latin America. At least $10 billion in Chinese loans remains outstanding. Much of the debt has been repaid through oil shipments rather than cash. China today remains a major buyer of Venezuelan crude and has continued involvement in the oil sector despite years of sanctions. China didn’t primarily seek military influence in Venezuela. It sought oil security and economic influence.
China has constructed and retains access to two satellite tracking stations in Venezuela. These are officially space-related facilities, but such installations can have strategic and intelligence value. Venezuela is the largest purchaser of Chinese military equipment in Latin America.
Chinese radars, trainer aircraft, armored vehicles, communications systems and surveillance equipment are present in Venezuelan forces. In 2023 China and Venezuela upgraded relations to an “All-Weather Strategic Partnership,” one of Beijing’s highest diplomatic categories. For American strategists, the concern is not what Chinese infrastructure in Venezuela exists today but what could emerge in the future.
Venezuela is not just resource rich country, it gave Russia a geopolitical foothold in America’s backyard. The backbone of the Russia-Venezuela partnership has been defense cooperation. Venezuela has purchased more than $4 billion worth of Russian military equipment. Russia became Venezuela’s principal arms supplier. Venezuelan forces depend heavily on Russian-origin systems, spare parts and maintenance support. Russian-backed energy ventures continue to operate in Venezuelan oil fields. Russia has supplied Venezuela military equipment like Su-30 fighter aircraft, Mi-17, Mi-35 and Mi-26 helicopters, Air-defense systems, tanks and armored vehicles, small arms and ammunition. There have also been repeated reports over the years about possible Russian access to facilities such as La Orchila Island, but no publicly confirmed permanent Russian base exists in Venezuela comparable to those Russia operates in places like Syria.
Venezuela’s relations with the United States has changed dramatically in 2026. Washington has eased major sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector post Maduro exit. U.S. companies such as Chevron are expanding operations and other Western energy firms are exploring investments. The U.S. has become Venezuela’s largest oil export destination, receiving about 558,000 barrels per day in May 2026 pitching itself ahead of India.
For Venezuela, India is a preferred partner. If China owns Venezuela’s balance sheet and Russia protects its arsenal, India may become the partner that helps Caracas diversify both. On one hand China wants Venezuela’s Oil, looking in for debt repayment and economic influence and Russia wants strategic presence, defense ties, political influence. India offers something different— a huge energy market, a major Global South partner, no historical baggage in Venezuela, a reputation for strategic autonomy.
India Itself Is a Balancing Power. India maintains independent healthy relations with the United States, Russia, Iran, Venezuela and even China despite border tensions. Following the U.S. special forces extraction of Nicolás Maduro in January this year, the U.S. heavily backed Delcy Rodríguez’s interim government and helped restructure Venezuela’s oil sales apparatus. Now, Rodríguez just concluded visit of a country that has mastered strategic balancing and strategic autonomy. India has consistently maintained that India wants to diversify its oil imports. The big question is— can Venezuela learn from India’s multi-alignment strategy?
Delcy Rodríguez as she leaves the soil on 07th June, arrived in India carrying more than a diplomatic briefcase. She arrived carrying Venezuela’s biggest challenge— how do you sell oil to the world, court new partners, attract investment, and yet avoid becoming dependent on any single great power? In today’s fractured world, Venezuela is walking a diplomatic tightrope—and India may be one of the few countries that understands exactly how difficult that balancing act can be.
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