Trump Presents Strict Conditions to Venezuela, Media Reports

American ABC News reports that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has presented strict conditions to Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, in exchange for the reactivation of the country's oil industry and permission for additional oil extraction.

Informed sources report that the first point of Washington's demands entails the immediate expulsion of representatives from China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba from Venezuela, as well as the cessation of all economic ties with these countries.

The second major demand requires Caracas to agree to collaborate exclusively with the U.S. on oil extraction matters and to prioritize sales of heavy crude oil to the American market.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a closed meeting with lawmakers, noted that Washington now possesses all the necessary leverage to compel Venezuela to accept these conditions. According to him, Venezuelan oil tankers are fully loaded, and in the absence of sales opportunities, the country is on the brink of financial bankruptcy.

Estimates from the American side suggest that Caracas has about two weeks left, after which, if the oil reserves are not utilized, the country will become completely insolvent.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker confirmed that the White House's strategy is based on establishing control over Venezuela's oil reserves. He noted that the plan does not envision the deployment of American troops on Venezuelan territory, but implies strict control over the movement of oil tankers and submarines. In Wicker's words, 'The U.S. will not allow any ship to head towards Havana or allow oil to be freely provided to China.'

He added that Venezuela can no longer even extract oil because there simply is no place to store it.