Venezuela

Time -  The United Nations on Tuesday said the action from the U.S. has made “all States less safe around the world.” This follows significant criticism and caution from world leaders regarding the Venezuela operation. Furthermore, since Saturday’s pre-dawn raid in Caracas, Trump has threatened that the U.S. may carry out interventions elsewhere in the world, prompting further concern and disapproval.

The Hill -  Days after a daring military operation to seize its leader, President Trump’s gambit for Venezuela’s massive oil reserves is coming into focus. That, and the future of Venezuela, are raising questions on Capitol Hill. 

The U.S. on Wednesday also seized two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the North Atlantic. One vessel was flying a Russian flag.

Trump plans to meet later this week with American oil executives, a senior White House official confirmed to NewsNation, as he pushes for investment in the South American nation’s oil industry. 

Meanwhile, Greenland has also found itself again in Trump’s crosshairs, resulting in quick pushback from European leaders and even some GOP senators. Here’s what you need to know.

Axios - Forget talk about elections and democracy in Venezuela. The Trump administration has a simple goal there: Back a pro-U.S. government — and prop it up with millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil.

The plan hinges on the U.S. taking de facto control of oil production in Venezuela, which may have the largest crude reserves in the world but has been crippled by the twin forces of kleptocracy and U.S. sanctions....

President Trump announced yesterday on Truth Social that the U.S. would receive as many as 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil from Venezuela, worth about $2.5 billion. Venezuela would share in the profits from the sale, Trump said...

Trump's announcement yesterday came at a crucial time for Venezuela's petrol-funded government. It's teetering on economic collapse, partly because of a U.S. blockade of most oil tankers leaving the country, sent there to pressure Maduro to leave office...

The toppling of Maduro was a surgical strike that left the rest of his socialist regime in place in Caracas, an effort to keep it stable. Some members of Venezuela's opposition have continued to press for fair elections after widespread voter fraud has kept Maduro in power....

Friday's meeting is expected to include representatives from Chevron, Exxon and ConocoPhillips, the Wall Street Journal reports.  And Energy Secretary Chris Wright will meet with several companies at an industry conference in Miami today, a spokesman said. Full Story

The Hill -  The U.S. has seized another oil tanker linked to Venezuela. The U.S. European Command said Wednesday on the social platform X that the Defense Department, in conjunction with the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security, seized the M/V Bella 1 ship in the North Atlantic “for violations of U.S. sanctions.” This marks the third such vessel the U.S. has captured in the last month. It also comes less than a week after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.