Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced that the U.S. will exercise control over Venezuela until a "safe, reasonable, and proper transitional period" is established. This statement followed the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during American military operations.
According to Trump, American oil companies will restore the "devastated infrastructure" in Venezuela and help the country begin to profit from its resources.
Last Saturday, the U.S. conducted strikes on Venezuela, resulting in Maduro and his wife being captured by American military forces and taken out of the country.
In response to the events, Venezuela declared a state of emergency and condemned the "military aggression," while the country's vice president emphasized that Maduro remains the only legitimate leader.
The U.S. Attorney General stated that Maduro is accused of drug and weapon possession.
At a press conference, Trump noted that the Venezuelan oil industry is in a deep crisis. He added, "We intend to task our largest oil companies with investing billions of dollars in restoring the severely damaged oil infrastructure of Venezuela and starting to bring profit to the country."
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Venezuela has oil reserves of about 303 billion barrels, which accounts for approximately 20% of the world's total reserves.
It is still unclear how exactly the U.S. plans to manage Venezuela, but Trump stated that the process will be led by a "group" of specialists.
“We will organize this event as a group and ensure that everything is done properly,” he added.
When journalists began to ask questions about which Venezuelans would be in this group, Trump mentioned that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had communicated with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
Trump also noted that Rodriguez expressed her willingness to fulfill all U.S. requests.
However, speaking on state television, Rodriguez stated that Maduro is the "only president of Venezuela" and added that the government is ready to defend itself.
She became the first Venezuelan official to publicly respond to the U.S. strikes, calling for evidence that Maduro and his wife are alive.
On Saturday morning, the U.S. conducted a "large-scale strike" on Venezuela, leading to the capture of Maduro and his wife, who were taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima destroyer.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi reported that charges were filed against Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, in the Southern District of New York.
“Soon they will face the full wrath of American justice on our soil in American courts,” Bondi wrote on the X platform.
Previously, Maduro denied any involvement with drug cartels and claimed that the U.S. uses the "war on drugs" as a pretext to overthrow his regime and seize Venezuelan oil reserves.
Since September, the U.S. has conducted over 30 attacks on vessels alleged to be used for drug smuggling in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of over 100 people.
The Trump administration characterized these operations as attacks on terrorists attempting to introduce fentanyl and cocaine into the U.S., but did not provide any evidence for its claims.
The identities of most of the deceased have not been disclosed, except for two survivors—a Colombian citizen and an Ecuadorian citizen.
The conflict escalated this week when the U.S. struck a "port area" associated with vessels allegedly involved in transporting Venezuelan drugs.
Fentanyl is primarily produced in Mexico and enters the U.S. through the southern border.
Drug enforcement experts emphasize that Venezuela plays a relatively minor role in international drug trafficking, mainly serving as a transit country for drugs produced in other regions.
