US President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that Venezuela would be selling 30 to 50 million barrels of oil to the US at its market price.
What did Donald Trump declare?
Trump made this announcement through a post on Truth Social. The President wrote, "I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America." He added, "This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!"
Trump further wrote, "I have asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute this plan, immediately. It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States."
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On Friday, executives from oil companies will be meeting in the Oval Office at the White House. The attendees would include representatives from Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, who will deliberate on future plans, NDTV reported.
Rodriguez resists foreign intervention
Venezuela possesses the largest oil reserves in the world, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of the world's oil. Responding to President Trump's statement that the 'US would be running Venezuela', the country's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, has made it clear that no foreign intervention would be calling the shots in Venezuela. Rodriguez was appointed as the president after US troops barged into Caracas and arrested Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The Supreme Court of Venezuela appointed Maduro's deputy, Rodriguez, to lead the nation in the president's absence.
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"The government of Venezuela is in charge in our country, and no one else," President Rodriguez said three days after the capture of Maduro. Rodriguez has sent mixed signals, calling for calm while also standing firmly with hardliners who control the security forces patrolling the streets since Maduro's arrest. "We are a people who do not surrender," she said, honouring those killed in the US attacks. Venezuela's military later confirmed that 23 soldiers, including five generals, were killed in the US strikes.
