‘US will take all the oil stuck in Venezuela and sell it in market, at market rates’: Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the United States administration has tremendous control and leverage over what the interim authorities in Venezuela are doing and are able to do and the US is about to execute a deal to take “all the oil that is stuck in Venezuela.” Speaking to reporters at Capitol Hill, Rubio said the US is about to execute a deal to take “all the oil that is stuck in Venezuela.”

“We’re going to sell it in the marketplace, at market rates, not at the discounts. That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is disbursed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people, not corruption, not the regime,” Rubio added.

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When reporters asked whether the US is concerned about the interim leader’s loyalty to her deposed predecessor, Rubio said, “The bottom line is that there is a process now in place where we have tremendous control and leverage over what those interim authorities are doing and are able to do.”

Venezuela’s interim leaders want seized oil cargo to be part of ‘deal’

“The Venezuelans understand the only way they can move oil and generate revenue, and not have economic collapse, is if they cooperate and work with the United States,” Rubio added.

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“But obviously this will be a process of transition. In the end, it will be up to the Venezuelan people to transform their country. We are prepared under the right conditions, using the leverage that we have, which includes the fact that they cannot move any oil unless we allow them to move it.”

Rubio also shared that Venezuela’s current interim leaders had asked the US for the oil cargo seized on those two ships to be “part of this deal”.

Meeting Denmark representatives next week: Rubio

Rubio declined to answer questions on whether military intervention would be used in Greenland, but said he is meeting with Denmark representatives next week.

He added that Trump is not the first president who talked about acquiring Greenland. “Truman did that,” he said.

When asked about the US plans for Venezuela, Rubio said the first step is stabilising the country, the second phase will be recovery, and the third will be transition.

‘The president means what he says. He’s not messing around‘: Hegseth

Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth described the US operations in Venezuela as a “historically successful” operation.

He said the US military is the only one powerful enough to do that: “And the world is taking notice of that… and it continues because two tankers overnight were seized by the US… that leverage will continue.”

“The president means what he says. He’s not messing around. We are an administration of action … to advance our interest.”

US to take control of Venezuela’s oil sales: Energy secretary Chris Wright

Speaking at a Goldman Sachs energy conference, US energy secretary Chris Wright said on Wednesday that the US plans to take long-term control of Venezuela’s oil sales and oversee the marketing of its crude “indefinitely”.

Wright said Washington intends to manage the sale of Venezuelan oil production directly in global markets. “Going forward, we will sell the production that comes out of Venezuela into the marketplace,” he said.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Venezuela would soon transfer tens of millions of barrels of oil to the United States. Trump said Caracas would send between 30 million and 50 million barrels, and that the US would control the profits from those sales.

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