Maduro Suspends Trinidad Energy Deal Over U.S. Warship

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro suspended an energy agreement with Trinidad and Tobago after the island welcomed a U.S. warship, escalating tensions between the neighbors. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez criticized Trinidad over the Dragon gas project, questioned whether a U.S. Treasury (OFAC) license would allow negotiations and warned that any exported Venezuelan gas must be paid for. Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad‑Bissessar said she had no official communication from Caracas, denied knowledge of any U.S.–Venezuela war, defended her government’s cooperation with the U.S. on security and said she would put Trinidad and Tobago’s interests first even if regional support for its future U.N. Security Council bid is jeopardized. Persad‑Bissessar has previously offered to travel to Venezuela to negotiate the Dragon field and urged CARICOM countries to help take in Venezuelan migrants living in Trinidad and Tobago. Opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, speaking from hiding, praised India as a “great democracy,” urged diplomatic support for Venezuelans and suggested India could be a partner for investment in a post‑Maduro Venezuela.