In a move that reshapes the geopolitical landscape in the western hemisphere, Nicolás Maduro’s regime approved a 15-year extension for the operations of two mixed oil companies linked to the Russian giant Rosneft. This decision—backed by the National Assembly under chavist control—coincides precisely with a message from Moscow: Russia stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Caracas in the face of what it calls “unfounded accusations” from the United States.
This maneuver is not just administrative. It’s political, energetic, and military. It’s a block message.
An extension that ties Venezuela to Russia until 2041
In an ordinary session, with a unanimous vote free of internal fissures—unusual even in the ruling Parliament—the NA extended the contracts of Boquerón S.A. and Petroperijá S.A. until 2041. These companies were established in 2006 between the Venezuelan Oil Corporation (CVP) and Rosneft’s subsidiaries like Boqueron Holdings B.V. and Roszarubezhneft.
These companies operate in strategic areas:
Zulia State
Orinoco Oil Belt
and have production plans that, in any country with independent institutions, would be regarded as assets of national security.
Petroperijá alone plans to extract 68 million barrels of oil and over 28,000 million cubic feet of associated gas, supported by investments exceeding 292 million dollars. Boquerón will maintain a similar flow focused on heavy and upgraded crude for export.
For chavismo, this represents “energy sovereignty.” For Washington, it’s a red alert: Venezuelan oil will be tied to a hostile power well into the 2040s.
The NA as the executing arm of the geopolitical pact
Deputy Orlando Camacho, president of the Permanent Energy and Oil Commission, presented a legal report based on Article 187.9 of the Constitution and Article 33 of the Hydrocarbons Law.
But beyond the legal framework, the political discourse was clear:
“This approval shows international companies’ trust in Venezuela,” Camacho said, aligning the decision with the 13 productive engines of the regime’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez.
What the regime calls “trust” is essentially strategic dependence: Rosneft continues to expand operational influence where ExxonMobil, Chevron, or ConocoPhillips once did.
Moscow responds to Washington: “It’s an invented pretext”
Minutes after the legislative approval, Russia escalated its diplomatic tone. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, one of the Kremlin’s most influential voices on American affairs, declared:
“We cooperate with Venezuela in all areas, including security. They know this.”
He added:
“The U.S. accusations are an invented pretext. They have no basis.”
These statements, released by the TASS news agency, directly rejected the State Department’s accusations regarding alleged ties of Maduro’s regime with drug trafficking and transnational criminal networks.
The implicit message:
Moscow is ready to support Maduro—politically, economically, and militarily—in any confrontation with Washington.
A united front amid military tension in the Caribbean
The extension comes as:
the United States increases aerial and maritime operations in the Caribbean.
The Pentagon maintains an aircraft carrier and an electronic intelligence contingent near Venezuelan territory.
The Trump administration pressures the regime on multiple fronts: sanctions, formal accusations, and operations against drug trafficking.
For Russia, Venezuela is a stronghold in Latin America against the Western blockade due to the war in Ukraine.
For the Venezuelan regime, Russia is the military, financial, and energy guarantor amid international isolation.
Energy shielding and a direct challenge to the United States
Analysts consulted interpret this dual move—legal in Caracas, diplomatic in Moscow—as a powerful message:
Venezuela not only consolidates its alliance with Russia; it deepens it during times of direct confrontation with the U.S.
The 15-year extension:
- ensures the permanence of Russian capital in the oil sector;
- grants Moscow a fixed seat in the world’s largest oil reservoir;
- limits the possibility for future democratic governments to renegotiate or reverse Russian penetration;
- and serves as a shield against international financial sanctions.
The official narrative frames it as “sovereignty.”
The opposition describes it as “surrender.”
For the United States, it is “a Russian expansion in the hemisphere.”
From energy partners to strategic allies
With this extension, Maduro’s regime guarantees the continuity of the Caracas-Moscow axis until 2041, reinforcing a political survival model based on alliances with authoritarian powers.
Russia, for its part, ensures operational presence in the Venezuelan oil industry just as NATO pressure intensifies in Europe.
The chavist Parliament acts as the hinge that allows this geopolitical reconfiguration to materialize.
The result is unequivocal:
Venezuela and Russia evolve from oil partners to strategic allies—military, energy, and diplomatic—at a time when tensions with Washington reach their highest point in two decades.