U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that the United States will either keep or sell the oil and ships seized near Venezuela’s coast, as Washington continues to pressure Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to step down.
Speaking to reporters in Florida, Trump said: “We will keep it. Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will use it for Strategic Reserves. We are also keeping the ships.”
The U.S. administration has accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to finance drug-related crimes, while Caracas condemned the seizures as “piracy.” U.S. forces have seized two tankers this month and are pursuing a third, part of Venezuela’s so-called “dark fleet,” used to evade U.S. sanctions.
Trump warned that the U.S. could also take action on land, stating: “We will start the same program on land. If they try to move from the land, they will have a big problem.”
In response, Maduro told state television: “It would be better to deal with his country’s economic and social issues.”
Since returning to office, Trump has doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture, labeling him as “one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers.” The Venezuelan government has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S., and last week a blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers was implemented.
These measures have caused anger in Caracas, and at Venezuela’s request, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency session to discuss what the government describes as “continued U.S. aggression.”
