Venezuela's Rodriguez to discuss energy ties during India visit from June 3-7

NEW DELHI: Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez will visit India from June 3 to June 7, India’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, at a time when New Delhi is ramping up its crude imports from Caracas.

India was the second-largest importer of Venezuelan oil in May with purchases of 427,000 barrels per day, second only to the U.S., Reuters reported. India’s Reliance Industries has emerged as one of the three largest buyers of Venezuelan crude in recent months.

During her visit, Rodriguez will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a media briefing.

“The discussions will involve the full spectrum of India-Venezuela relations and involve and explore avenues for further cooperation in the areas of energy, trade, investment, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, transportation, and renewable energy,” Jaiswal said.

Rodriguez last visited India in February 2025 when she was Venezuela’s oil minister, and led a delegation participating in the India Energy Week conference.

Her visit comes as India, the world’s third-largest oil importer and consumer, grapples with supply disruptions caused by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which has virtually shut the Strait of Hormuz – a key conduit that carried more than 40% of the South Asian nation’s crude oil imports.

India had stopped buying Venezuelan oil last year, after U.S. President Donald Trump authorized a 25% discretionary tariff on countries buying crude from the South American nation. It resumed purchases when sanctions were eased in February following a flagship oil supply pact between Washington and Caracas.

Under the agreement, reached after the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro in January, Washington controls proceeds from Venezuelan oil sales through bank accounts administered by the Treasury Department, with commercial terms also following its guidance.