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The United States claims decisive control over Venezuela's interim government following Nicolas Maduro's capture, with the White House declaring Wednesday that Washington will dictate the decisions of Caracas authorities as President Donald Trump prepares to meet with oil executives about the country's energy sector.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the administration maintains "maximum leverage" over Venezuela's interim leadership and remains in close coordination with authorities there. Trump will convene US oil executives Friday to discuss plans for Venezuela's oil industry, she announced, less than a week after the operation that removed Maduro from power.
"Their decisions are going to continue to be dictated by the United States of America," Leavitt said during a White House briefing.
The assertions come as Trump has repeatedly stated the United States will "run" Venezuela despite having no American forces deployed on Venezuelan territory. The administration appears to be leveraging a naval blockade of Venezuelan oil exports and the implicit threat of military action to ensure compliance from interim president Delcy Rodriguez.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against congressional criticism Wednesday, insisting the administration has developed a comprehensive post-Maduro plan. After briefing lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Rubio told reporters the strategy has been explained in detail to Congress.
"The bottom line is, we've gone into great detail with them about the planning. We've described it to them. In fact, it's not just winging it," Rubio said.
The administration's immediate strategy centers on Venezuela's vast oil reserves. Trump announced Tuesday that Venezuela had agreed to transfer between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, though Caracas has not confirmed any such agreement. The president has also suggested US oil companies will invest in Venezuela's deteriorating petroleum infrastructure, but no firms have publicly committed to such investments.
"The meeting is on Friday, and it's just a meeting to discuss, obviously, the immense opportunity that is before these oil companies right now," Leavitt said.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright indicated earlier that Washington intends to control Venezuelan oil sales "indefinitely." The US Navy is enforcing what officials describe as a blockade to prevent unauthorized oil exports from the South American nation.
American forces seized an oil tanker in the North Atlantic on Wednesday after tracking the vessel from waters off Venezuela's coast. Leavitt said the ship, which had identified itself as Russian-flagged, was "deemed stateless after flying a false flag."
The press secretary characterized the vessel as part of Venezuela's shadow fleet used to transport sanctioned oil, adding that crew members would face potential prosecution.
Venezuela possesses the world's largest proven oil reserves but has seen its production capacity severely degraded over years of underinvestment and international sanctions. The country's oil sector, once a cornerstone of its economy, has struggled with aging infrastructure and lack of technical expertise since many foreign companies departed amid previous US sanctions regimes.
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