Trump says US will receive 30-50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela
President Donald Trump stated on his social media site that “interim authorities” in Venezuela will provide the US with 30 million to 50 million barrels of “high-quality” oil at market prices.
The announcement on Tuesday came after officials in Caracas reported that at least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in a midnight US military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and take him to the United States to face drug charges.
Trump posted on Truth Social that the oil would be “transported from a storage ship, and brought directly to an unloading dock in the United States.” He said the money would remain under his control as president but would be used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.
Additionally, the White House is organizing an Oval Office meeting with oil company executives on Venezuela on Friday, which is expected to include representatives from Exxon, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the plans.
Earlier on Tuesday, Venezuelan officials released the death toll from Maduro’s attack, while the country’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, hit back at Trump, who earlier this week warned that she would face consequences worse than Maduro if she didn’t “do the right thing” and make Venezuela a country more in line with US interests. Trump has said his administration will now “drive” Venezuela policy and is pressuring the country’s leaders to open its vast oil reserves to American energy companies. Rodriguez, speaking to officials from the government’s agricultural and industrial sectors on Tuesday, said, “Personally, to those who threaten me: my fate will be decided not by them, but by God.”
Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, said that “dozens” of officers and civilians were killed in the weekend attack in Caracas and that prosecutors would investigate the deaths, which he described as “war crimes.” He did not specify whether this estimate specifically referred to Venezuelans.
In addition to Venezuelan security officials, the Cuban government previously confirmed that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela were killed in the raid. The Cuban government says the victims belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, the country’s two main security agencies.
According to the Pentagon, seven US service members were also injured in the raid. Five have already returned to duty, while two are still recovering from their injuries. According to a US official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, the injuries included gunshot and shrapnel wounds.
A video paying tribute to the slain Venezuelan security officers was posted on the military’s Instagram account, showing the faces of those killed in black-and-white video of soldiers, US aircraft flying over Caracas, and armored vehicles destroyed in the explosions.
Meanwhile, the streets of Caracas, deserted for days after Maduro’s capture, briefly filled with people waving Venezuelan flags and dancing to patriotic music in a demonstration in support of the government.
The military wrote in an Instagram post, “Their blood does not demand revenge, but justice and strength.” “This reaffirms our solemn vow that we will not rest until we rescue our rightful president, completely dismantle terrorist groups operating from abroad, and ensure that such incidents never again defile our land of the free.”
