Trump: Venezuela to sell 30-50 million barrels of ‘high quality’ oil to US at market price

“I have directed Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute this plan immediately,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It will be transported by storage ships and taken directly to unloading docks in the United States.”

Trump said the money would be controlled by him as president, but would be used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.

Separately, the White House is hosting an Oval Office meeting on Friday with oil company executives regarding Venezuela, with representatives from Exxon, Chevron And ConocoPhillips is expected to attend, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the plans.

THIS IS A LATEST UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — At least 24 Venezuelan security agents were killed in the American military operation in the middle of the night capture Nicolas Maduro and take him to the United States to face drug charges, officials said Tuesday.

Venezuelan officials announced the death toll as the country’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, pushed back President Donald Trumpwho warned earlier this week that she would face a worse outcome than Maduro if she doesn’t “do what’s right” and transform Venezuela into a country that aligns with U.S. interests. Trump said his administration will now “run” Venezuelan politics and pressured the country’s leaders to open up their vast oil reserves to American energy companies.

“Personally, to those who threaten me,” Rodriguez said in a speech to government officials from the agricultural and industrial sectors. “My destiny is not determined by them, but by God. »

Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said “dozens” of officers and civilians were killed during the weekend strike in Caracas and that prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as a “war crime.” He did not say whether the estimate referred specifically 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 during the raid. The Cuban government says personnel killed belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, the country’s two main security agencies.

Seven US service members were also injured in the raid, according to the Pentagon. Five of them have already returned to duty, while two are still recovering. The injuries included gunshot wounds and shrapnel, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Video tribute to murdered Venezuelan security officials posted on military website Instagram presents the faces of the victims in black and white videos of soldiers, American planes flying over Caracas and armored vehicles destroyed by the explosions. Meanwhile, the streets of Caracas, deserted for days after Maduro’s capture, briefly filled with masses of people waving Venezuelan flags and jumping to patriotic music in a state-organized demonstration of support for the government.

“Their bloodshed calls not for revenge, but for justice and strength,” the army wrote in an Instagram post. “It reaffirms our unwavering vow not to rest until we have saved our rightful president, completely dismantled terrorist groups operating from abroad, and ensured that events such as these never again defile our sovereign soil.”

Trump complains about Democrats’ reaction to raid

Trump on Tuesday pushed back against Democratic criticism of this weekend’s military operation, noting that his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden had also called for the arrest of the Venezuelan leader on drug trafficking charges.

Trump in a speech to a Republican retreat from the House In Washington, he complained that Democrats were not giving him credit for a successful military operation, even though both parties agreed that Maduro was not Venezuela’s legitimate president.

In 2020, Maduro was indicted in the United States, accused of narcoterrorism conspiracy and decades-long international cocaine trafficking. White House officials noted that Biden’s administration in its final days in office last year raised the price for information leading to Maduro’s arrest after he assumed a third term despite evidence suggesting he lost Venezuela’s last election. The Trump administration doubled that amount to $50 million in August.

“You know, at some point they should say, ‘You know, you did a great job. Thank you. Congratulations.’ Wouldn’t that be nice? » Trump said. “I would say if they did a good job, their philosophies are very different. But if they did a good job, I would be happy for the country. They’ve been looking for this guy for years and years and years.”

Trump’s latest comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials informed congressional leaders late Monday Operation in Venezuela amid growing concerns that the Republican administration is embarking on a new era of American politics expansionism without consultation of legislators or clear vision of the management of the South American country.

Democratic leaders said the session lacked clarity on the Trump administration’s plans for Venezuela. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, an Iraq war veteran, said there was no dispute with Trump that Maduro was a “brutal dictator.”

“But the problem we have is the fact that once again we have entered a war with no known outcome,” Duckworth said.

What American opinion polls show

Americans are divided over Maduro’s capture – and many are still forming their opinions – according to a survey conducted by the Washington Post and SSRS using text messages over the weekend. About four in ten approved of sending the U.S. military to capture Maduro, while roughly the same proportion opposed it. About 2 in 10 people were unsure.

Nearly half of Americans, 45 percent, were opposed to the United States taking control of Venezuela and choosing a new government for the country. About 9 in 10 Americans believe the Venezuelan people should decide the future direction of their country.

Maduro pleaded not guilty to federal drug charges in a US courtroom on Monday. U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife early Saturday in a raid on a compound where they were surrounded by Cuban guards.

In the days since Maduro’s ouster, Trump and senior administration officials have raised global fears that the operation could mark the start of a more expansionist U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. The president has renewed his calls in recent days for a US takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action against Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while its top diplomat said the communist government in Cuba is “in great difficulty”.

Colombia responds to Trump

Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio announced Tuesday that she will meet with the charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Bogota to present a formal complaint regarding recent threats made by the United States.

On Sunday, Trump said he was not ruling out an attack on Colombia and described its president, who has openly criticized the U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela, as a “sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it in the United States.”

Villavicencio said she hoped to strengthen relations with the United States and improve cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.

“It is necessary for the Trump administration to know in more detail everything we are doing in the fight against drug trafficking,” she said.

Meanwhile, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday. defend the sovereignty of Greenland. The island is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and therefore part of the NATO military alliance.

“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is up to Denmark and Greenland, and them alone, to decide matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

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Madhani reported from Washington and Janetsky from Mexico. AP writers Josh Boak, Konstantin Toropin, Sagar Meghani, Isabel DeBre, Linley Sanders and Manuel Rueda contributed reporting.