Five days after the deadly military operation in Venezuela in which the United States captured President Nicolas Maduro, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said overnight that 100 people were killed in the attack.
Speaking between Wednesday and Thursday, Cabello said Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, was wounded in the head during the US raid, while Maduro himself was injured in the leg.
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(Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP, ZURIMAR CAMPOS / VENEZUELAN PRESIDENCY / AFP, shutterstock, Reuters)
Cabello’s remarks came after Reuters reported a day earlier that the Trump administration had warned him to cooperate or risk becoming a potential target.
Until now, Caracas had not released an official death toll from the operation, though the military published a list of 23 of the dead. Venezuelan officials previously said that a large number of Maduro’s security forces were “murdered in cold blood.” Cuba also said that 32 members of its military and intelligence services in Venezuela were killed in the US operation.
Meanwhile, after the United States announced that it would now set policy in Venezuela and benefit from its oil, President Donald Trump said overnight that Caracas had agreed to use revenue from oil sales exclusively to purchase US-made goods.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “I have just been informed that Venezuela is going to be purchasing only American-made products with the money they receive from our new Oil Deal.” He said the purchases would include agricultural products, medicines, medical equipment and gear to improve Venezuela’s power grid and energy facilities. “In other words,” Trump added, “Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner — a wise choice.”
Trump spoke after Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that Venezuela would be permitted to sell oil only if it aligns with US interests. Vance said Washington controls Venezuela’s finances and energy resources and would allow oil sales only when they serve US national interests.
Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, who previously served as vice president under Maduro, said overnight that the country is “open to mutually beneficial energy relations,” following a White House statement that it is working on an oil agreement with Caracas. She made the comments during a meeting with leaders of Venezuela’s National Assembly.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump and his advisers are working on an initiative to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry in the coming years, and that the president has told aides he believes the effort could help drive oil prices down to $50 a barrel. Sources familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the plan under consideration includes exerting a degree of control over Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, including purchasing and marketing most of its oil production.
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Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump
(Photo: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria /REUTERS)
However, Britain’s Financial Times reported that US oil companies are seeking firm assurances from Washington before committing to large-scale investments in Venezuela, even as Trump presses them to back his push to reshape global energy markets. Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela’s interim authorities would send between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, to be sold at market prices, with the proceeds overseen by his administration. He added that he had directed the energy secretary to carry out the plan.
Separately, Trump spoke overnight by phone with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, two days after Petro said he would “take up arms” in response to Trump’s implied threats that Venezuela would not be the last country to face US action. Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had invited Petro to Washington.
“It was a great honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,” Trump wrote. “I appreciated his call and tone, and look forward to meeting him in the near future.”