US President Donald Trump has stated that his country's involvement in Venezuela could last for years. He told the New York Times that only time will tell how long his administration would oversee the running of the South American nation after US forces seized control from Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a raid.
Trump refrained from specifying when elections might occur, leaving doubts surrounding the future political stability of Venezuela with Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro loyalist, heading the interim government. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado contended that Maduro's removal signified an irreversible process towards a liberated Venezuela.
During the interview, Trump reiterated that the US would control sales of Venezuela's oil 'indefinitely', asserting that this control is crucial for leveraging the interim government. He admitted that while US efforts to stabilize Venezuela's oil industry would take time, their plans were focused on recovering oil sales from the nation's vast reserves, which have significantly declined due to past mismanagement and sanctions.
Despite aspirations from Machado for a swift transition towards democracy, Trump appeared more focused on operational control than the specifics of Venezuela's recovery. The US Senate has started to debate a resolution that could limit Trump's military actions in Venezuela, although the resolution's fate remains uncertain. The complexity of the political landscape continues to unfold as Maduro loyalists and opposition factions navigate their roles amidst shifting power structures.
