U.S. monitoring Venezuela’s ICJ position closely

May 14, 2026 News

…says talks will remain private

Kaieteur Sports – With Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez telling the world court that the country’s position on the Guyana border controversy will not change, despite the court determining the issue, United States Under Secretary Jacob Helberg said that Washington is closely monitoring the case and is engaged in “private conversations” where it believes the most progress could be made.

U.S. monitoring Venezuela’s ICJ position closely

United States Under Secretary Jacob Helberg

At a press briefing on Wednesday at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Helberg was asked whether, in the context of energy security and hemispheric stability, especially in light of Rodríguez’ statement at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – if Washington would play a mediating role should Venezuela continue refusing to accept the outcome of the case.

“We’re monitoring events at the ICJ very, very closely,” the U.S official said, adding that the U.S government understands and agrees that security is a precondition for prosperity.

“And ultimately, a lot of those conversations right now will be private, and we believe that we can, make progress through private conversations,” Helberg said.

Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez (Photo by Pedro Mattey / AFP via Getty Images.)

The Venezuelan government has made its position clear that it will not accept the outcome of the border controversy case and the court’s determination of the validity of the 1899 arbitral award which gave the country control of the resource rich Essequibo region.

Operating offshore Guyana is American oil giant ExxonMobil alongside partners, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited. In the block measuring 6.6 million acres, the consortium has already unlocked over 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources.

Venezuela is claiming more than half of Guyana’s territory, the resource-rich Essequibo region. Exxon and several other foreign companies’ operations are located in the Essequibo region.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, May 12, President Donald Trump posted a map of Venezuela with an inset American flag and the caption “51st State.” The White House also shared a screenshot of Trump’s post on X – USA Today reported. Trump’s post came roughly 24 hours after he told Fox News correspondent John Roberts on Monday, May 11, that he was now “seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state.”

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Delcy Rodriguez, ICJ, Monitoring, U.S, Venezuela

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