The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to resume oil production and exports in Venezuela. U.S. Treasury Secretary Biden said that more sanctions on Venezuela could be lifted as early as this week, and he plans to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to discuss plans to help Venezuela rebuild its economy. On Saturday, Trump also signed an executive order banning courts and creditors from forcibly seizing Venezuela's funds to repay long-standing claims by oil companies. The executive order stated that such actions would "undermine the key efforts of the United States to ensure Venezuela's economic and political stability."
Trump's initiatives to boost Venezuela's oil production may pose a significant risk to OPEC countries already under pressure from falling oil prices and could potentially disrupt the global balance of power. On Saturday, the U.S. intercepted the fifth sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. At least 11 more tankers have moved away from Venezuelan waters and Trump's blockade area, transporting about 9.4 million barrels of crude oil. According to The Washington Post, large U.S. oil companies remain cautious about Trump's proposal for hundreds of billions of dollars in investment in Venezuela, but hedge funds and other investment institutions are preparing to seize this opportunity, and are arranging trips to Venezuela. Investors believe that a combination of political changes, U.S. intervention, and U.S. capital investment in Venezuela's rich oil resources could make debt restructuring feasible.
Venezuela is gradually releasing political prisoners, and families of the prisoners gathered outside prisons in Caracas, waiting to confirm the list of released individuals. By Saturday night, 16 political prisoners had been released. Additionally, opposition leader Machado may visit Washington this week, planning to "present" her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump, but the Nobel Committee said on Friday that the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred or shared.
Trump has handed the "key to Venezuela" to Rubio — this arrangement could either make him or ruin his political future. Although Rubio previously stated that if Vance decides to run for president in 2028, he will support Vance and not compete with him, Rubio has also changed his mind about not running before. If Rubio runs for president in 2028, his experience managing Venezuela could either make him president or completely destroy his presidential dreams. If chaos arises in the future, it could cause Rubio to lose the support of several key voter groups within the Republican Party, including anti-interventionist conservatives and Latino Republicans — whose positions are diametrically opposed: the former have always been wary of Rubio's neoconservative tendencies; some of the latter (especially in Florida) are eager for a change of regime in Venezuela.
Image source: network
US forces captured the President of Venezuela
Original: toutiao.com/article/1854112129538122/
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