US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Venezuela will be “turning over” 30-50 million barrels of “high quality” sanctioned oil to the United States at its market price.
Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said that the oil “will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States.” He said the money would be controlled by him as president, but that it would be used to “benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States”.
The announcement came after officials in Caracas announced that at least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the US military operation to capture former Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who now face drug charges in the United States.
Cuba’s government had previously confirmed that 32 Cuban military and police officers belonging to Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, and who were working in Venezuela, were killed in the raid.
Pentagon, meanwhile, said seven US service members were also injured in the raid, five of whom had already returned to duty, while two were still recovering from their injuries. The injuries included gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries, according to a US official who was not authorised to comment on the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
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Additionally, the White House is organising an Oval Office meeting with oil company executives on Friday, including with representatives of Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, on Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, a staunch Maduro supporter, delivered an address before Venezuelan government’s agriculture and industrial sector officials, saying her “destiny is not determined by them, but by God”, in the face of Trump’s threats to her to “do what’s right” or face an outcome worse than Maduro’s.
Venezuela’s military posted a video tribute to the slain Venezuelan security officials, which also featured images of American aircraft flying over Caracas and armoured vehicles destroyed by the blasts.
“Their spilled blood does not cry out for vengeance, but for justice and strength,” the military wrote in an Instagram post. “It reaffirms our unwavering oath not to rest until we rescue our legitimate President, completely dismantle the terrorist groups operating from abroad, and ensure that events such as these never again sully our sovereign soil.”
The streets of Caracas, which had been deserted for days following Maduro’s capture, briefly filled with masses of people waving Venezuelan flags and bouncing to patriotic music at a state-organised display of support for the government.
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