U.S. promotes Venezuelan oil and coal at G20 summit

On September 15, 2026, at a G20 summit on energy abundance held in Houston, Texas, the U.S. government pushed for the inclusion of Venezuelan oil and coal in the global energy security agenda. According to reports published by the newspapers El Nacional and Descifrado, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Venezuelan coal exports could be incorporated into future bilateral trade and energy agreements between Washington and Caracas.

The summit, which brings together delegations from the world's largest economies (including China, India, Japan and Germany), serves as a forum for discussing the global supply of fuels. According to El Nacional, Burgum said Venezuela's inclusion in this energy map reflects a shift in the geopolitical center of oil away from the Middle East and toward the Western Hemisphere, driven by fears of possible supply disruptions in the Arab region.

This move toward closer commercial ties responds to the need of major powers to diversify their energy sources in a context of high geopolitical volatility. By redefining Venezuela as a key supplier for the stability of the hemisphere, the U.S. administration is prioritizing the pragmatism of supplying traditional fossil fuels over earlier diplomatic tensions.

In the short term, sector analysts will need to watch whether these political statements translate into the formal easing of current trade restrictions and the signing of specific supply contracts.