US Demands Venezuela Cut Ties With Iran, China, Cuba and Russia in Exchange for Higher Oil Output — ABC News
US authorities have demanded that Venezuela sever its economic ties with Iran, China, Cuba and Russia as a precondition for increasing oil production, ABC News reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions. According to the US broadcaster, Washington has presented a set of far-reaching political and economic demands to Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, as part of a broader strategy to reshape the country’s energy sector and foreign alignments.
Under the proposed conditions, Caracas would be required to “expel China, Russia, Iran and Cuba and sever economic ties” with those countries. In parallel, Venezuela would have to agree to “exclusive cooperation with the United States in the field of oil production,” effectively granting Washington privileged access to the country’s vast hydrocarbon resources. Earlier the same day, US President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela’s interim authorities had agreed to hand over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States.
The demands come amid a dramatic escalation in US-Venezuelan tensions. On January 3, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto accused the United States of striking civilian and military targets in Caracas, describing the action as military aggression and announcing a nationwide state of emergency. Trump later confirmed that US forces had carried out large-scale strikes and claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and removed from the country.
According to US officials, Maduro and his spouse were transferred to the United States and held at a detention facility in Brooklyn, New York. On January 5, they appeared before the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, where prosecutors accused them of involvement in drug trafficking — allegations both defendants have denied. Trump has also claimed that the United States would assume interim governance of Venezuela and expressed confidence that Washington would secure compensation from Caracas for US oil companies.
