The success of the U.S. operation in Venezuela triggers a reconfiguration of global energy supply chains

On January 9, 2026, Donald Trump held a meeting with the heads of U.S. and foreign oil companies, during which the President of the United States urged leading energy corporations to resume operations in Venezuela following the arrest and transfer to the United States of the country’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro.

The U.S. president assured participants that Washington would guarantee security conditions necessary for stable and predictable business operations in Venezuela and emphasized that agreements related to the extraction and sale of Venezuelan oil would be concluded by private companies directly with the United States.

Unexpectedly for Washington, the Venezuelan case generated effects extending beyond the original intent. Access to a resource base of this scale simultaneously creates strategic opportunities and imposes an obligation to protect it, requiring a reassessment of priorities and a readiness to increase defense spending.