Trump’s Venezuelan Oil Deal Relies on a Powerful and Divisive Partner NYT > Top Stories By: Rebecca F. Elliott · Anatoly Kurmanaev and Edward Wong 30 August 2026 at 01:47 The administration will work with a private Venezuelan oil company that has close ties to the country’s government. © Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York TimesVenezuela is believed to have one of the world’s largest reserves of oil but it produces very little oil because of mismanagement, corruption and U.S. sanctions.