Overview
- White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the United States will continue to "dictate" decisions by Venezuela’s interim authorities and will control the commercialization of Venezuelan oil for an indeterminate period.
- President Donald Trump announced a planned transfer of 30–50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude to the United States at market prices and said he would oversee the proceeds, though AFP noted it is unclear whether Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has agreed or how the plan would operate.
- Rodríguez asserted that no external actor governs Venezuela, while Trump warned she would "pay more than Maduro" if she resists U.S. demands to hand over oil-sector control and loosen ties with Cuba, China, Iran and Russia.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailed a three‑step approach—stabilization, "restoration" of fair market access for companies, then transition—as the White House called elections "premature," PDVSA said it is negotiating oil sales with the U.S., and Trump set a Friday meeting with major oil executives.
- Caracas declared seven days of mourning as the army listed 23 troops, including five generals, killed in the raid and Cuba reported 32 security personnel dead; the UN human-rights chief denounced the breach of sovereignty, and Nicolás Maduro remains in U.S. custody on narcotics-related charges.