Trump White House Issues Oil Ultimatum to Venezuela as Greenland Threats Spark Global Alarm

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration has delivered a set of demands to Venezuela’s interim leader that U.S. officials say must be met before the country can resume selling more oil, as President Donald Trump also faces intensifying international backlash over renewed threats to take control of Greenland. Sources told ABC News that the United States conveyed conditions requiring Venezuela to expel China, Russia, Iran and Cuba and to sever economic ties with those countries. The demands also include Venezuela agreeing to partner exclusively with the United States on oil production and to favor the U.S. when selling heavy crude oil, ABC reported. The report described the pressure as aimed at what it called the lifeline of Venezuela’s economy and said the U.S. was imposing a military blockade. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, according to widely cited international energy assessments. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. plan in Venezuela hinges on controlling oil and that he did not believe deploying U.S. troops would be required. Trump also praised what he called a military raid that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro. “It was an amazing military feat. We sort of got him a little by surprise, but it was a brilliant. It was brilliant tactically. It was an incredible thing,” Trump said. Details about the operation and the administration’s broader plan remain unclear. ABC reported that, three days after Trump’s comments, the administration had not publicly clarified how the United States intends to govern Venezuela even as Trump has said the U.S. is in charge. Officials have not disclosed a longer-term strategy or what role Venezuela’s interim government would play. The White House also did not rule out using the military in connection with Trump’s stated goal of taking over Greenland. A White House official told ABC that the president and his team were discussing “a range of options” and said using the U.S. military is always an option available to the commander in chief. In a White House statement cited by ABC, Trump framed control of Greenland as a national security issue. “We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” Trump said. Denmark and Greenland have requested a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ABC reported. The United Kingdom, France and Germany signed onto a statement defending Greenland’s sovereignty, saying Greenland belongs to its people and that decisions about Greenland should be made by Denmark and Greenland. Tensions also surfaced with Colombia after Trump threatened to target Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Petro responded in a post on X, writing, “Trump’s label of me as a drug trafficking outlaw is a reflection of his senile brain.” Late in the same sequence of developments, ABC reported that Trump posted on social media that Venezuela’s interim president would turn over 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States to be placed on storage ships, unloaded in the U.S. and sold at market price. Officials have not provided documentation or a timetable for that transfer. Online reaction to the developments has been swift, including questions about U.S. authority to impose demands tied to Venezuela’s oil sales. Other commenters argued the moves align with longstanding U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere and cited the scale of U.S. defense spending. Many commenters also questioned the timing of the announcements and suggested the administration is attempting to shift public focus as criticism continues over the pace and scope of releases related to the Epstein files. -------------------- At Cleveland 13 News, we strive to provide accurate, up-to-date, and reliable reporting. If you spot an error, omission, or have information that may need updating, please email us at tips@cleveland13news.com. As a community-driven news network, we appreciate the help of our readers in ensuring the integrity of our reporting.