The U.S. President also instructed Chris Wright, the Secretary of Energy, to immediately proceed with the implementation of this plan. He noted that the oil will be loaded onto special vessels and sent directly to unloading terminals in the U.S.
According to the dpa agency, this involves significant sums of money. In recent months, Trump has repeatedly accused the Venezuelan authorities of facilitating drug trafficking into the U.S. and posing a threat to national security. In response, the Venezuelan side claims that Washington seeks to gain control over the country's natural resources.
Venezuela possesses some of the largest oil reserves in the world. Until 2005, it was the main supplier of oil to the U.S., but the situation changed after the nationalization in 2007, carried out by then-President Hugo Chávez, during which the property of American companies was confiscated.
After the military operation in Venezuela on January 3, Trump also noted that American companies intend to invest billions of dollars in the restoration of the country's destroyed infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, in a televised address on January 6, denied claims of external management of the country following Maduro's capture. "Our country is governed by the government of Venezuela, and no one else. There is no foreign influence here," she emphasized.
Rodríguez also announced a seven-day mourning period for the victims of the American military operation. According to Venezuelan authorities, 24 military personnel were killed during the operation. Earlier, Cuban authorities reported the deaths of 32 Cubans who were working in Venezuela in the field of security.
