THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) 鈥� 鈥檚 acting President told journalists Monday that her country had no plans to become the 51st U.S. state after President said he was 鈥渟eriously considering鈥� the move.
Rodr铆guez was speaking at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the final day of hearings in a dispute between her country and neighboring Guyana over the massive mineral- and oil-rich .
鈥淲e will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,鈥� said Rodr铆guez, who assumed power in January following a U.S. military operation that ousted then-President . Venezuela is 鈥渘ot a colony, but a free country,鈥� she added.
Speaking to Fox News earlier on Monday, Trump said he was 鈥渟eriously considering making Venezuela the 51st US state,鈥� . The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Trump .
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly later declined to comment on Trump鈥檚 plans in an interview of her own with Roberts on Fox News. Kelly said the president is 鈥渇amous for never accepting the status quo,鈥� and praised Rodr铆guez for 鈥渨orking incredibly cooperatively鈥� with the U.S.
Rodr铆guez went on to say that Venezuelan and U.S. officials have been in touch and are working on 鈥渃ooperation and understanding.鈥�
Before addressing Trump’s comments, Rodr铆guez defended her country鈥檚 claim to Essequibo at the United Nations’ highest court, telling judges that political negotiations 鈥� not a judicial ruling 鈥� will resolve the century-old territorial dispute.
The 62,000-square-mile territory, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana, is rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. It also sits near currently producing an average 900,000 barrels a day.
That output is close to Venezuela鈥檚 daily production of about 1 million barrels a day and has transformed one of the smallest countries in South America into a significant energy producer.
Venezuela has considered Essequibo its own since the Spanish colonial period, when the jungle region fell within its boundaries. But an 1899 decision by arbitrators from Britain, Russia and the United States drew the border along the Essequibo River largely in favor of Guyana.
Venezuela has argued that a 1966 agreement sealed in Geneva to resolve the dispute effectively nullified the 19th-century arbitration. In 2018, however, three years after ExxonMobil announced a significant oil discovery off the Essequibo coast, Guyana鈥檚 government went to the International Court of Justice and asked judges to uphold the 1899 ruling.
Tensions between the countries further flared in 2023, when Rodr铆guez鈥檚 predecessor, Maduro, threatened to annex the region by force after . Maduro was captured Jan. 3 during a U.S. military operation in Venezuela鈥檚 capital, Caracas, and taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
Rodr铆guez did not address the referendum in her remarks, but she told the court that the 1966 agreement is designed to allow negotiations between Venezuela and Guyana to resolve the territorial dispute. And she accused Guyana鈥檚 government of undermining the agreement with the 鈥渙pportunistic鈥� decision to ask the court to address the dispute.
鈥淎t a time when the mechanisms established in the Geneva agreement were still fully in force, Guyana unilaterally chose to shift the dispute from the negotiating arena to a judicial resolution,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his change was not accidental; it coincided with the discovery in 2015 of the oil field that would become world-renowned.鈥�
, Guyana鈥檚 foreign minister, Hugh Hilton Todd, told the panel of international judges that the dispute 鈥渉as been a blight on our existence as a sovereign state from the very beginning.鈥� He said that 70% of Guyana鈥檚 territory is at stake.
The court is likely to take months to issue a final and legally binding ruling in the case.
Venezuela has warned that its participation in the hearings does not mean either consent to, or recognition of, the court鈥檚 jurisdiction.
___
Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
