The president Donald Trump stated this Thursday that the United States has "paid for the attack many times" thanks to the revenue from Venezuelan oil, and described the bilateral relationship as a sort of highly profitable joint venture for both countries.
"They are producing more oil now than in many, many decades. And they are making more money, and we are, too. It's like a joint venture, to be honest," Trump stated in reference to Venezuela.
The leader also turned to one of his favorite phrases to justify the economic benefits gained: "I always used to say: to the victor belong the spoils. We have paid for the attack many times. The attack, something they probably have never heard before. It was an attack of less than a day. In reality, it was an attack of 45 minutes."
The statements refer to the Operation Absolute Resolution, carried out in the early morning of January 3, 2026, during which special forces from the Delta Force unit captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores at the presidential complex in Caracas.
Trump revealed unprecedented details about that operation in the days that followed, highlighting that it concluded without any American casualties.
Trump specified that Venezuela "has a good army," but that he "didn't expect" the operation. The president added that the attack "is always costly," although oil revenues have more than compensated for it.
After Maduro's capture, Delcy Rodríguez took office as acting president under direct influence from the White House.
Trump announced that Rodríguez would govern Venezuela in a framework of close collaboration with Washington.
The impact on the Venezuelan oil industry has been immediate. Before the operation, Venezuela exported only 35,000 barrels per day to the United States; under U.S. supervision, Chevron currently operates with between 200,000 and 240,000 barrels per day.
In February 2026, Trump called Venezuela a "partner and friend" and confirmed the receipt of more than 80 million additional barrels.
Revenue from royalties, taxes, and dividends from oil operations is deposited into accounts controlled by the U.S. Treasury.
The Secretary of Energy Chris Wright reported sales of over 1 billion dollars since Maduro's capture, with projections of 5 billion in the coming months.
Venezuela, for its part, severed ties with Cuba, China, Russia, and Iran following the operation. The cut of the Venezuelan supply of between 25,000 and 35,000 barrels per day that Cuba had been receiving since January 2026 worsened the energy crisis on the island, which had already been devastated by 67 years of communist dictatorship.
In April 2026, an investment of $1.4 billion in the Venezuelan oil sector was announced, as part of a broader plan that Trump described as a "trillion-dollar" initiative to revive the industry within 18 months.
Venezuela holds 17% of the world's oil reserves according to OPEC, but under chavismo, it contributed only 1% of global production.
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