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What interest do China and Russia have in Venezuela? – DW...

US president Donald Trump continues to ratchet up pressure on Venezuela. There is also a geopolitical element to the conflict. What interests do China and Russia have in the country?

the operational capacity to seize power in Venezuela because they do not control, or meaningfully fracture, the military. If they did, power would have shifted immediately after the 2024 presidential election. It did not.

For a long period, U.S. officials, including Marco Rubio, were in constant communication with Machado and her team. They were asked repeatedly for proof of a concrete plan, not just to win power symbolically, but to retain it in practice: chain of command, military alignment, institutional control, day-after governance. The answers were consistently evasive, justified by security concerns, but never substantiated. At that point, from the U.S. government’s perspective, the opposition ceased to look like a viable transition mechanism and began to look like a political wager with no enforcement arm.

The plan now on the table is for Delcy Rodríguez to stabilize the country with U.S. backing and then call for general elections. This is not framed as an endorsement of the regime, but as a containment and transition strategy. Washington is explicit about one thing: this is not a partnership of equals. The United States is running the process, the lines are being managed through Rubio, and the leverage is entirely asymmetric. Delcy is the instrument, not the center of gravity.

U.S. officials also assess that Delcy’s harsh public rhetoric today was aimed inward, at the chavista base, not outward. That messaging is understood as domestic signaling. Nevertheless, as of now, negotiations with the United States are ongoing as we speak.

https://x.com/FranciscoPoleoR/status/2007629162513854895

US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.

https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/2007540837224255602

Maduro teško hoda i kaže da je povređen/ranjen.

Prevod:

“Happy New Year. I’m injured/wounded. Good night.”

“Is that how you say it, Cilia?” NM

Images of Nicolás Maduro arriving at DEA facilities are circulating on social media.

Here, Cilia, Maduro’s wife, is finally seen.

https://x.com/TessieSanchez/status/2007649049432993811

Edited January 4Jan 4 by vememah

NaJpRe Da UtVrDiMo ČiNjEnIcE

keep turning out to be @Keir_Starmer - from stellar leadership in opposition to coward in Downing street

https://x.com/implausibleblog/status/2007453297213333650

Edited January 4Jan 4 by vememah

ensure national defense, the court has ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to immediately assume interim presidential powers, without formally declaring Maduro absent.

https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2007638363021418718

accused Washington of “kidnapping” President Nicolas Maduro, urging his supporters to “take a stand against fascism”.

https://x.com/BTnewsroom/status/2007619515773817206

Ako im je Rodrigez zaista bila saradnik, onda je Trump još veći idiot nego sam mislio, jer ju je na pressici burnovao, pa će ili biti odbačena od lojalista ili će se morati još više dokazivati da nije saradnik.

war and violence. At this moment, the most important thing is to calm the situation. We do not want another war. We do not want civilian casualties and the suffering of the innocent population. In the EU, we will remain closely committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes, de-escalation of the situation and the peaceful and democratic path of Venezuela.

https://x.com/vladaRS/status/2007474560866598965

Edited January 4Jan 4 by vememah

Demokratski senator iz Virdžinije:

Our Constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike. (1/5)

If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan’s leadership? What stops Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine’s president? Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it. (2/5)

None of this absolves Maduro. He is a corrupt authoritarian who has repressed his people, stolen elections, imprisoned political opponents, and presided over a humanitarian catastrophe that has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee. The Venezuelan people deserve democratic leadership, and the United States and the international community should have done far more, years ago, to press for a peaceful transition after Maduro lost a vote of his own citizens. But recognizing Maduro’s crimes does not give any president the authority to ignore the Constitution. (3/5)

The hypocrisy underlying this decision is especially glaring. This same president recently pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in a U.S. court on serious drug trafficking charges, including conspiring with narcotics traffickers while in office. Yet now, the administration claims that similar allegations justify the use of military force against another sovereign nation. You cannot credibly argue that drug trafficking charges demand invasion in one case, while issuing a pardon in another. (4/5)

America’s strength comes from our commitment to the rule of law, democratic norms, and constitutional restraint. When we abandon those principles, even in the name of confronting bad actors, we weaken our credibility, endanger global stability, and invite abuses of power that will long outlast any single presidency. (5/5)

https://x.com/MarkWarner/status/2007476434328064175

Edited January 4Jan 4 by vememah

U.S. seeks to tap Venezuela's vast oil reserves after military strikes. Here's what to know.

The U.S. strike on Venezuela has renewed focus on the country's oil sector, which includes some of the richest crude reserves in the world.

"We're going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars, it will be paid for by the oil companies directly. And we're going to get the oil flowing the way it should be," President Trump said in a public address on Saturday following the attack, in which the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Here's what to know about Venezuela's oil industry.

How much oil does Venezuela produce?

Venezuela, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, produces relatively little crude compared with other leading oil-producing nations. The country produces roughly 1 million barrels of crude oil per day, less than 1% of global output, according to OPEC data.

Venezuela's oil production topped 3 million barrels per day in the early 2000s, but it has fallen sharply in recent decades due to declining investment and the impact of U.S. sanctions. Because of U.S. political pressure, Venezuela today exports most of its oil to China, according to Reuters.

By comparison, the U.S. — the world's largest oil producer — churns out 13.5 billion barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration. Saudi Arabia, the world's No. 2 oil exporter and leading OPEC producer, pumps an estimated 10 million to 12 million barrels, while No. 3 Russia produces 9.4 million.

Francisco J. Monaldi, director of the Latin America energy program at Rice University, predicted it would take at least a decade — and investments of more than $100 billion — to rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure and lift production to 4 million barrels per day, which is well above its historical production levels.

But doesn't Venezuela have more oil in the ground?

Yes, Venezuela is estimated to have the world's largest proven oil reserves, with more than 303 billion barrels — that represents roughly 17% of the total global oil supply, OPEC data shows.

"The bottom line is that the size of the reserves is only paralleled by the ones in the Middle East, in the Persian Gulf and Canada's reserves," Monaldi told CBS News.

Venezuela's reserves top second-ranked Saudi Arabia's 267 billion barrels, and are more than six times the U.S.'s reserves. Most of Venezuela's untapped oil is located in what is known as the Orinoco Belt, a roughly 21,000-square-mile area that stretches across the country's northeastern region.

Are American oil companies already operating in Venezuela, and does the U.S. restrict the country's oil industry?

Only one U.S. oil company operates in Venezuela today: Houston-based Chevron, which now accounts for 25% of Venezuelan oil production.

"No other major Western player produces any significant amount," Monaldi told CBS News.

Other American energy giants, including Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, withdrew from Venezuela after former President Hugo Chavez nationalized private foreign oil interests starting in 2006.

Since 2005, successive U.S. presidents have imposed a range of sanctions on Venezuela, including its oil sector, for what American officials have said is the country's failure to crack down on drug trafficking and terrorism, along with alleged human rights abuses.

Under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. in 2019 also froze the assets of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), and barred Americans from doing business with the enterprise.

Most recently, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on four companies and associated oil tankers that it said have ties to Venezuela's oil sector.

Earlier in December, Mr. Trump called for a "total and complete blockade" on all sanctioned oil tankers that enter or leave Venezuela, and the U.S. seized two sanctioned vessels.

Chevron can maintain its presence in Venezuela under a waiver granted by the Biden administration in 2022, when the U.S. faced soaring inflation and energy prices. President Trump extended that special license last year.

How could regime change in Venezuela affect oil prices?

Any significant disruption to global oil supplies could drive up energy prices around the world. Yet Venezuela's limited crude production is likely to mute any immediate impact on oil prices, which fell modestly in afternoon trading on Saturday, according to FactSet.

Prices for U.S. oil saw a steep decrease in 2025, dropping roughly 20% and extending a decline over the previous two years. In trading on Friday, the price of West Texas Crude (the U.S. standard) fell to $57.32 a barrel, down from nearly $80 in January.

Other factors could limit any short-term impact on domestic energy prices. U.S. production of crude has surged in recent years, helping lower gas prices. The U.S. has also beefed up its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to the Energy Information Administration, another potential cushion for consumers and businesses from volatility in global oil markets.

"Global supply remains ample, Venezuelan production represents a small share of worldwide output and there's no clear evidence yet of sustained disruption to physical flows," Nigel Green, CEO of investment advisory firm deVere Group, said in an email.

Wall Street analysts expect relatively little impact when U.S. financial markets reopen on Monday.

"Investors have dealt with a series of ostensibly seismic geopolitical events for the last several years (Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, Libya, etc.), but none had a sustained impact on markets, and it's unlikely the events in Venezuela will be any different," said Adam Crisafulli, head of investment adviser VitalKnowledge.

Meanwhile, major economies around the world are growing at a rate expected to keep oil prices in check, given the current surplus in crude supplies and sufficient production capacity among key producers, experts note.

In the short term, an end to the U.S. blockade could even reduce oil prices, Monaldi said. "Venezuela was exporting about 800,000 barrels before the blockade. If those go back to the market, that eases pressures."

However, a prolonged slump in Venezuelan oil production could affect some energy costs. For example, the country produces a form of crude suitable for making diesel, which is widely used in many industries.

As a result, removing Venezuela's oil input from global markets could push up diesel costs in the U.S. and boost inflation, according to a recent analysis by the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan group focused on global political and economic affairs.

"Limited price impact reflects where the barrels go and how much spare capacity exists. It doesn't mean the risk is negligible," Green said.

Will U.S. companies want to restart operations in Venezuela?

To boost its oil production, Venezuela will need to rely on private investors because its state-run oil company, PDVSA, is in financial ruin, Monaldi told CBS News. That could open the door for U.S. companies to reenter the market. With new investment, Venezuela's existing infrastructure would allow the country to ramp up oil production relatively quickly, he added.

To be sure, any such investment is likely to hinge on political developments following the U.S. strikes and Maduro's removal, said Monaldi, noting that Venezuela would need to offer commercial, fiscal and contractual incentives to lure American energy producers.

"Venezuela doesn't have limits in terms of the resources," he said. "It's about the politics."

In the near term, Chevron stands to benefit the most, given its existing footprint in Venezuela, according to Monaldi. Other U.S. companies that might bring business back to Venezuela include ConocoPhillips and Exxon, he added.

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/venezuela-oil-reserves-us-strike-trump-what-to-know/

5 hours ago, Tsai said:

Citam ko bosanski nadimak

https://perchance.org/polumenta

6 hours ago, Budja said:

Subota u Cuenci mirna, izgleda da su svi otisli sto do plaze sto do prigradskih vikendica u Yungilli.

Ne desava se nista, kao sto je i normalno.

Ekvadorski predsednik ima americko drzavljanstvo i vise vremena provodi u Majamiju no u Kitu. Jebe mu se za zemlju, narocito otkad je izgubio ustavni referendum. Dakle, podrzava Trampa.

Oko Ekvadora i mineralnih resursa u Andima vec sam napisao post. Nafte imamo nesto, ali to nije znacajno da bi se Ameri muvali oko toga.

Ovo me podseti kad sam pricao sa nasim vodicem u Iranu: "Sve je islo dobro dok nismo otkrili naftu".

1 hour ago, vememah said:

https://x.com/vladaRS/status/2007474560866598965

Slovenci kao uvek zakivaju, ove bitne™ evropske zemlje da gledaju i stide se.

flying multiple heavy helicopters into a hostile capital, extracting a sitting head of state, and leaving without losing a single aircraft is not something elite forces simply “pull off.” A single 12.7 mm gun, a MANPADS team, or an RPG at the landing zone would immediately change the outcome.

Airstrikes can suppress radar and command nodes, but they do not erase close-in air defenses in dense urban terrain. If no one engaged, it means they could not, would not, or were never ordered to. Either way, the decisive failure happened before the first helicopter lifted off.

https://x.com/Teoyaomiquu/status/2007670269364637859

pa, komentari i nisu pohvalni za goloba. izgleda da je prevagnulo trampovo gledanje na venecuelu.

svinjarija koja daje za pravo kini i rusiji da intervenišu na sličan način. ispostavlja se smo dobili još jedan nivo terorizma. državni.