How long will US run Venezuela and extract oil? — 6 months or a year? Donald Trump says ‘longer’

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, 7 January, refused to give a timeline of how long he will run Venezuela and extract oil from the South American country, saying “only time will tell”.

In an interview with the New York Times, Donald Trump hinted that America would be running Venezuela for a long time, despite the country being governed by allies of Nicolas Maduro.

Trump added that the US was “getting along very well” with the interim president, Delcy Rodriguez. He also said that the interim government was giving the US everything “that we feel is necessary. Don’t forget, they took the oil from us years ago”.

He said, “…they’re treating us with great respect. As you know, we’re getting along very well with the administration that is there right now.”

“Marco [Secretary of State Marco Rubio] speaks to her [Delcy Rodriguez] all the time. I will tell you that we are in constant communication with her and the administration,” the president said.

Speaking of America's agenda in Venezuela, Donald Trump said, “I would say much longer.” “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need,” the US president said.

Donald Trump also refused to answer questions on why he hadn't yet handed over power to the opposition, which Washington had previously considered the legitimate winner of the election in 2024.

Trump has said the United States intends to “run” Venezuela. US officials have indicated that their plan for now is to exert influence without a military occupation. And just a day earlier, Trump had revealed his plan to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil that had been stuck in Venezuela under US blockade.

Meanwhile, the United States Coast Guard has released footage showing US forces boarding and taking control of the oil tanker Bella I, later renamed Marinera, in the North Atlantic, as part of stepped-up efforts to enforce sanctions linked to Venezuela's oil trade. The United States has taken control of two oil tankers connected to Venezuela, one of which was flying a Russian flag.

Detailing the operation, the Coast Guard said, “Alongside @DeptofWar, @USCG conducted a boarding and seizure of the Motor Tanker Bella I this morning in the North Atlantic. Following a sustained shadowing effort across the Atlantic by Coast Guard Cutter Munro, tactical Coast Guard teams leveraged our powerful maritime law enforcement authorities to secure Bella I through a tightly executed joint operation.”