The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated this Monday that his administration could retain the seized oil off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks and will also hold onto the vessels involved in those operations, amid increasing pressure from Washington on the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
“We are going to keep it... maybe we will use it in the Strategic Reserves... We are also keeping the ships,” Trump declared, referring to the Venezuelan oil confiscated during recent naval operations, according to the government publication on the social media platform X.
However, the president noted that the United States is still assessing the final destination for the oil, without ruling out its sale in the international market or its use to replenish the country's strategic reserves, a decision that will rest with his administration.
The statements come amid a campaign of sustained pressure against Maduro's regime, which the Trump administration has been maintaining for at least four months. Although it was initially presented as an effort to curb drug trafficking from Venezuela, the strategy has expanded to target the revenue from Chavismo's oil.
In recent weeks, the United States has escalated its naval presence in the Caribbean, with interdictions of oil vessels linked to Venezuela. Several of these operations have involved the participation of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, which have intercepted boats suspected of transporting or heading to load Venezuelan crude.
Trump emphasized that the detention of the ships is part of the same maximum pressure approach, sending a direct message to Caracas and to third countries or companies that facilitate oil trade with the regime.
The measure reinforces the Trump administration's more aggressive foreign policy shift toward Venezuela, in a regional context characterized by sanctions, military deployments, and energy tensions.
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