Trump says U.S. Oil Majors will Invest Billions to Repair Venezuela’s Oil Sector Hours After Maduro’s Capture

• S. President Donald Trump said American oil companies will move to invest heavily in Venezuela’s oil sector, hours after Washington announced the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following U.S. military strikes. In a public address, Trump said U.S. oil majors would “go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country.” He added that Venezuela had been producing far below its potential.
• Trump also asserted that the United States had historically built Venezuela’s oil industry, claiming that the “socialist regime stole it”, which he described as one of the largest thefts of American property in U.S. history.
• The comments followed the announcement that Maduro had been captured during early-morning strikes on January 3. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro has already been indicted in the Southern District of New York on several counts, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons-related charges.
• Washington has long accused Maduro of running a narco-state and rigging the 2024 election, which the opposition claims it won. The developments triggered regional security responses almost immediately.
• Guyana went on alert, with President Irfaan Ali convening an emergency meeting of the Defence Board and national security officials. Police and military units were deployed near the border. At the regional level, Caribbean Community leaders also met to assess possible spillover risks. Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said her country supported U.S. pressure on Venezuela but played no role in the military operation.

(Source: OIL Now)