Washington, January 5, 2026 – The Europe Today: U.S. lawmakers and officials have stressed that while the United States does not require Venezuelan oil, it will not allow the Bolivarian Republic’s energy sector to fall under the control of adversaries, according to media reports.
Senator Marco Rubio told NBC News, “We don’t need Venezuelan oil. We have plenty of oil in the United States, but we won’t allow Venezuela’s oil industry to be controlled by America’s adversaries.” He added that the U.S. seeks for Venezuelan oil revenues to benefit the Venezuelan people.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the American presence in Venezuela would focus on the energy sector, particularly oil, rather than involve military occupation.
The situation escalated on January 3, when Venezuelan Foreign Minister Iván Gil Pinto reported that the United States had attacked both civilian and military targets in Caracas, describing the actions as military aggression. A state of emergency was subsequently declared in Venezuela.
Following the events, President Trump confirmed the U.S. strikes on Venezuelan territory and announced that President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured and removed from the country. Reports from CNN indicated that the couple had been transported to the United States and are currently being held at a detention center in Brooklyn, New York.
The developments mark a significant escalation in U.S.-Venezuela tensions, with Washington emphasizing control over the strategic oil sector while asserting that the broader presence will not be military.
