Trump meets US-backed Venezuelan president for first time since Maduro seized

Rodriguez was handpicked by Trump as leader of Venezuela was arrested and taken to the US Delcy Rodríguez was pictured alongside the US president on the sidelines of the summit in New York US President Donald Trump has held talks with Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodríguez at the UN General Assembly, their first face-to-face meeting since the White House backed her to take over the South American country's government. Rodríguez succeeded Nicolás Maduro shortly after US forces conducted a raid on the Venezuelan capital Caracas and seized him. The pair met a few kilometres from the New York jail where Maduro is awaiting trial for drug trafficking and other charges.

Rodríguez said they discussed "advancing a cooperation agenda in strategic areas such as energy, mining, and security". US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles also attended the meeting. Rodríguez's government has signed an agreement allowing the US to control more than 65 billion barrels of its oil – more than a fifth of the country's reserves. It grants a US-led company 100-year concessions over 17 oilfields in Venezuela. Trump previously called it "the biggest oil deal in world history". During his address to the UN on Monday, Trump said the US and Venezuela control "more than 60%" of the world's oil, adding: "To