President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
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Evan Vucci/AP
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela would be providing 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., and he pledged to use proceeds from the sale of this oil “to benefit the people” of both countries.
The White House is organizing a meeting Friday with U.S. oil company executives to discuss Venezuela, which the Trump administration has been pressuring to open its vast-but-struggling oil industry more widely to American investment and know-how. Representatives of Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend the White House meeting, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the plans.
Earlier Tuesday, officials in Caracas announced that at least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the dead-of-night U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and spirit him to the United States to face drug charges. And the country’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, pushed back on Trump, who earlier this week warned she’d face an outcome worse than Maduro’s if she does not “do what’s right” and overhaul Venezuela into a country that aligns with U.S. interests, including by granting access to American energy companies.
Rodriguez, delivering an address Tuesday before government agricultural and industrial sector officials, said, “Personally, to those who threaten me: My destiny is not determined by them, but by God.”
Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said overall “dozens” of officers and civilians were killed in the weekend strike in Caracas and said prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as a “war crime.” He didn’t specify if the estimate was specifically referring to Venezuelans.
In addition to the Venezuelan security officials, Cuba’s government had previously confirmed that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela were killed in the raid. The Cuban government says the personnel killed belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, the country’s two main security agencies.
Seven U.S. service members were also injured in the raid, according to the Pentagon. Five have already returned to duty, while two are still recovering from their injuries. The injuries included gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment on the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A video tribute to the slain Venezuelan security officials posted to the military’s Instagram account features faces of the fallen over black-and-white videos of soldiers, American aircraft flying over Caracas and armored vehicles destroyed by the blasts. Meanwhile, the streets of Caracas, deserted for days following Maduro’s capture, briefly filled with masses of people waving Venezuelan flags and bouncing to patriotic music at a state-organized display of support for the government.
“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.”
Questions about the future of Venezuelan oil
With oil trading at roughly $56 a barrel, the transaction Trump announced late Tuesday could be worth as much as $2.8 billion. The U.S. goes through an average of roughly 20 million barrels a day of oil and related products, so Venezuela’s transfer would be the equivalent of as much as two and a half days of supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Despite Venezuela having the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, it only produces on average about one million barrels day, significantly below the U.S. average daily production of 13.9 million barrels a day during October.
Government supporters gather for a women’s march to demand the return of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, three days after U.S. forces captured him and his wife.
Matias Delacroix/AP
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The press office for Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s announcement.
ExxonMobil is developing a mammoth offshore oil deposit in the waters off Guyana, Venezuela’s neighbor to the east. The company’s major oil discovery in 2015 prompted Venezuela to revive a century-old territorial dispute with Guyana and take steps to annex the remote region known as Essequibo, which comprises about two-thirds of Guyana’s land mass.
The development has also led to wide-ranging accusations from Venezuela’s government, including Rodríguez, against Guyana’s leaders and ExxonMobil. Two years ago, Venezuelan lawmakers even considered banning any future operation in Venezuela of oil companies working in Guyana.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump 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 remarks before a House Republican retreat in Washington grumbled that Democrats were not giving him credit for a successful military operation, even though there was bipartisan agreement that Maduro was not the rightful president of Venezuela.
In 2020, Maduro was indicted in the United States, accused in a decades-long narco-terrorism and international cocaine trafficking conspiracy. White House officials have noted that Biden’s administration in his final days in office last year raised the award for information leading to Maduro’s arrest after he assumed a third term in office despite evidence suggesting that he lost Venezuela’s most recent election. The Trump administration doubled the award 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 it be good?” Trump said. “I would say that if they did a good job, their philosophies are so different. But if they did a good job, I’d be happy for the country. They’ve been after this guy for years and years and years.”
What US opinion polls show
Americans are split about the capture of Maduro — with many still forming opinions — according to a poll conducted by The Washington Post and SSRS using text messages over the weekend. About 4 in 10 approved of the U.S. military being sent to capture Maduro, while roughly the same share were opposed. About 2 in 10 were unsure.
Nearly half of Americans, 45%, were opposed to the U.S. taking control of Venezuela and choosing a new government for the country. About 9 in 10 Americans said the Venezuelan people should be the ones to decide the future leadership of their country.
Maduro pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a U.S. 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 top administration officials have raised anxiety around the globe that the operation could mark the beginning of a more expansionist U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. The president in recent days has renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in Cuba is “in a lot of trouble.”
Colombia responds to Trump
Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Rosa Villavicencio said Tuesday she’ll meet with the U.S. Embassy’s charge d’affaires in Bogota to present him with a formal complaint over the recent threats issued by the United States.
On Sunday, Trump said he wasn’t ruling out an attack on Colombia and described its president, who’s been an outspoken critic of the U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela, as a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”
Villavicencio said she’s hoping 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 about all that we are doing in the fight against drug trafficking,” she said.
Meanwhile, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom on Tuesday joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in defending Greenland’s sovereignty. The island is a self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark and thus part of the NATO military alliance.
“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
ARTICOL EDITAT:
A Shifting Power Dynamic: U.S. Intervention in Venezuela and Global Repercussions
Updated January 7, 2026
The Capture of Nicolás Maduro and Its Aftermath
In a stunning turn of events, U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a clandestine military operation on January 4, 2026. Maduro is now in U.S. custody, facing drug trafficking charges stemming from a decades-long indictment originally filed in 2020. The raid, which took place in Caracas, resulted in the deaths of at least 24 Venezuelan security officers and 32 Cuban military and police personnel stationed in the country, according to Venezuelan and Cuban officials. Seven U.S. service members sustained injuries during the operation, with two still recovering from gunshot and shrapnel wounds.
The operation has ignited a firestorm of controversy, with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, vowing retaliation if the U.S. does not “do what’s right” and align Venezuela with American interests, particularly regarding access for U.S. energy companies. Attorney General Tarek William Saab has labeled the raid a “war crime” and promised a full investigation into the deaths of Venezuelan personnel. Cuba’s government has condemned the action, highlighting the loss of its security forces.
Oil, Geopolitics, and the Future of Venezuelan Resources
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, that Venezuela would provide the U.S. with 30 to 50 million barrels of oil, with proceeds earmarked to benefit both nations. This move comes as the White House prepares to host a meeting with executives from ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips on Friday to discuss increased U.S. investment in Venezuela’s vast, but currently underperforming, oil industry. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, estimated at over 303 billion barrels according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, yet its current production averages only around one million barrels per day.
The potential influx of Venezuelan oil is strategically significant, particularly given ongoing geopolitical tensions and fluctuating global energy prices. However, it also raises concerns about the long-term stability of the region and the potential for further escalation. ExxonMobil’s recent oil discoveries in neighboring Guyana have further complicated the situation, as Venezuela has revived a century-old territorial dispute over the Essequibo region, potentially threatening Guyana’s sovereignty and ExxonMobil’s operations.
International Reactions and U.S. Foreign Policy
The U.S. intervention has drawn mixed reactions from the international community. While some nations have expressed support for efforts to address drug trafficking and instability in Venezuela, others have voiced concerns about the unilateral use of force and the potential for undermining international law. Leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom jointly defended Greenland’s sovereignty after Trump renewed calls for the U.S. to acquire the Danish territory, citing security concerns.
Trump’s recent rhetoric and actions – including threats against Colombia for its alleged role in cocaine trafficking – have fueled anxieties about a more assertive and potentially destabilizing U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Rosa Villavicencio has scheduled a meeting with U.S. officials to formally protest Trump’s threats.
The situation is further complicated by the presence of Cuban security forces in Venezuela, raising questions about the extent of Cuban involvement and the potential for regional repercussions. The deaths of 32 Cuban personnel in the raid have strained relations between the U.S. and Cuba, with the Cuban government condemning the operation.
Public Opinion and Domestic Considerations
A recent poll conducted by The Washington Post and SSRS reveals a divided American public regarding the U.S. intervention in Venezuela. Approximately 40% approve of the military action, while an equal percentage opposes it, with roughly 20% remaining unsure. Nearly half of Americans believe that the Venezuelan people should be the ones to determine their own future leadership, expressing reservations about the U.S. imposing a new government.
The capture of Maduro follows a 2020 indictment accusing him of involvement in a decades-long conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the United States. The Trump administration doubled the reward for information leading to his arrest to $50 million in August 2025.
