Trump claims Venezuela will hand over 30 to 50 million barrels of oil, Rodriguez insists 'no foreign power' running country

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez on Tuesday (Jan 6) pushed back hard against claims that her country was now being run from Washington, even as US President Donald Trump declared that Caracas would soon hand over tens of millions of barrels of oil to the United States.

No foreign agent

Speaking just three days after US special forces captured her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a surprise raid, Rodriguez said Venezuela remained firmly in Venezuelan hands.

"The government of Venezuela is in charge in our country, and no one else," she insisted. "There is no foreign agent governing Venezuela."

Her remarks came hours after Trump said Washington was effectively "in charge" of the crisis-hit nation and that cooperation with Rodriguez would depend on access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

Venezuela to give the US millions of barrels of oil?

In a late-night post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Rodriguez would be turning over "between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil" to the US.

"This oil will be sold at its market price, and that money will be controlled by me", Trump wrote, adding that Energy Secretary Chris Wright had been instructed to execute the plan immediately.

Rodriguez pro US or not?

Rodriguez's tone has shifted repeatedly since Maduro's removal. At times, she has signalled a willingness to cooperate with Washington. At others, she has leaned into defiance.

"We are a people that does not surrender, we are a people that does not give up," she said, announcing seven days of mourning for 'martyrs' killed in the US strikes.

Venezuela's military has confirmed the deaths of 23 troops, including five generals. Cuba, a close ally, said 32 of its military personnel were also killed. Civilian casualty figures remain unclear. Attorney General Tarek William Saab said "dozens" died without offering details.