U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his country will "manage" Venezuela until a "safe, proper, and reasonable transitional period" is achieved, following the military actions in which American forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
According to Trump, American oil companies will work on restoring Venezuela's "devastated infrastructure" and will begin generating profits for the country.
On Saturday, the U.S. conducted military operations in Venezuela, during which Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country.
In response to these actions, Venezuela declared a state of emergency and condemned the "military aggression," while the country's vice president stated that Maduro remains the only legitimate leader.
The U.S. Attorney General reported that Maduro is accused of drug and weapon possession.
At a press conference, Trump noted: "The oil sector in Venezuela has long been in decline."
“We are going to instruct our largest oil companies, which are leading players in the global market, to invest billions of dollars, restore the severely damaged oil infrastructure, and start generating profits for the country,” he added.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Venezuela has oil reserves estimated at about 303 billion barrels, which accounts for approximately 20% of the world's reserves.
It remains unclear how exactly the U.S. will manage Venezuela, but Trump stated that a "group" of people will lead this process.
“We will carry this out as a group and ensure proper organization,” he said.
When reporters began to ask Trump about the composition of this group, he mentioned that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had communicated with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
Trump added that Rodríguez expressed her willingness to meet any U.S. demands.
However, in response to Trump's statements, Rodríguez, in an interview with state television, called Maduro "the only president of Venezuela" and emphasized the government's readiness to defend itself.
Earlier, she became the first Venezuelan official to publicly respond to the U.S. strikes, demanding that the United States provide evidence that Maduro and his wife are alive.
In the early hours of Saturday, the U.S. carried out a "large-scale strike" on Venezuela, resulting in Maduro and his wife being captured and taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima destroyer.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that charges have been filed against Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, in the Southern District of New York.
“Soon they will face the consequences of American justice in U.S. courts,” Bondi wrote on the X platform.
Maduro has previously categorically denied allegations of ties to drug cartels and claimed that the U.S. uses the "war on drugs" as a pretext to overthrow his regime and seize Venezuelan oil resources.
Since September, the U.S. has carried out more than 30 strikes against vessels allegedly involved in drug smuggling in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people.
The Trump administration characterized these actions as attacks on terrorists attempting to bring fentanyl and cocaine into the U.S., but did not provide any evidence for its claims.
Except for two survivors — citizens of Colombia and Ecuador — the identities of the other deceased have not been disclosed.
This week, the conflict escalated when the U.S. struck a "port area" associated with alleged vessels involved in Venezuelan drug trafficking.
Fentanyl is primarily produced in Mexico and enters the U.S. mainly overland through the southern border.
Drug experts emphasize that Venezuela plays a minor role in global drug trafficking, primarily acting as a transit country for drugs produced in other nations.
