The United States has outlined a three-stage strategy for Venezuela following the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro by US forces last weekend, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Speaking on Wednesday, Rubio said the plan would begin with stabilising the country, followed by a recovery phase aimed at giving US and allied oil companies access to Venezuela’s energy sector, and conclude with a political transition. He offered few details on how that transition would be carried out.
President Donald Trump warned that further military action could follow if members of Maduro’s inner circle, who have assumed interim control, fail to comply with US demands. Those demands centre largely on Venezuelan oil, Trump said, adding that the US plans to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude. US forces continued to seize oil tankers linked to Venezuela on Wednesday.
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, and an increase in its crude exports could deepen global oversupply and place additional downward pressure on oil prices.
Rubio said Washington now has significant influence over the interim authorities in Caracas. “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,” he said, speaking alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth after a classified briefing for US senators.
Rubio said the immediate goal was to prevent Venezuela from “descending into chaos.” He said the recovery phase would focus on opening the Venezuelan market to American, Western and other companies “in a way that’s fair,” while also promoting national reconciliation. This would include amnesty for opposition figures, the release of political prisoners, and efforts to rebuild civil society.
Democrats sharply criticised the plan, arguing that it effectively amounts to the seizure of Venezuelan oil and lacks transparency. Several lawmakers questioned why the proposals were discussed only in a classified setting.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut described the plan as “insane,” accusing the administration of seeking to take control of Venezuela’s oil by force in order to exert open-ended influence over the country’s political future.“They are talking about stealing the Venezuelan oil at gunpoint for a period of time undefined as leverage to micromanage the country,” Murphy said. “The scope and insanity of that plan is absolutely stunning.”