Delcy Rodríguez, vice president of the ruling party, responded this Friday to recent statements by President Donald Trump, who said that his country was stripped of energy assets in Venezuela and that he seeks to recover them, ensuring that The United States “has no rights” to Venezuelan oil and gas.
In a message broadcast through Telegram, Rodríguez stressed that energy resources belong to the Venezuelan State and that any foreign interest must be governed by national laws. “Venezuela does not owe anything to the United States. If they want our oil, they must pay,” he said.
Rodríguez demands apologies and compensation
The official maintained that, far from owing explanations, Venezuela expects “historic apologies” and compensation from Washington for what he described as threats, sanctions and illegitimate pressure against the country.
Accompanied by workers in the oil sector, she insisted that “threats, extortion and looting are not the way.”
Rodríguez assured that the country remains firm in the face of what it considers an escalation of hostility on the part of the United States, especially after the announcement of new measures against Venezuelan oil trade.
Escalation of tensions in the Caribbean
The statements come in a context of growing bilateral tension, after Trump ordered the blockade of sanctioned ships transporting oil to and from Venezuela, and reinforced the US military presence in the Caribbean Sea.
The Republican president affirmed this week that Venezuela is “surrounded” by a powerful naval fleet and He warned that the pressure will continue until the country “returns” assets that, according to him, belong to the United States. Caracas has interpreted these actions as a direct threat to its sovereignty.
Trump does not rule out an armed conflict
In an interview with the network NBC News, Trump affirmed that he does not rule out a war with Venezuela and announced that the seizures of oil tankers will continue. “I don’t rule it out,” he said when asked about a possible military confrontation.
Although he avoided confirming whether his final objective is the departure of Nicolás Maduro from power, the US president maintained that the Venezuelan leader “knows exactly” what Washington is looking for, in a statement that has increased uncertainty about the direction of the conflict between both countries.