New York:US President Donald Trump met with Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Tuesday during the 81st UN General Assembly session. This meeting marked their first direct encounter since the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro.

According to Anadolu Agency, the historic meeting focused on strengthening the bilateral relationship between the United States and Venezuela, with discussions on advancing cooperation in strategic areas such as energy, mining, and security.

Rodriguez expressed gratitude to the US administration for its support following recent earthquakes in Venezuela and thanked Washington for aiding Caracas's reintegration into multilateral forums. She emphasized the importance of steering the historic connection between Caracas and Washington through dialogue, aiming for diplomacy that achieves concrete results and benefits for the Venezuelan people.

The informal discussion included high-ranking US officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller. However, no official joint readout or formal statement was released immediately after the talks.

This interaction was the first since a US military operation captured Maduro in Caracas, leading to his transfer to New York to face federal narcotics charges, which he denies. Following his detention, Washington recognized Rodriguez as the leader of an interim government in Caracas.

The diplomatic engagement follows a significant bilateral energy pact announced in August, granting the US long-term rights to over 65 billion barrels of proven crude reserves across 17 oil fields through a binational joint venture.