Donald Trump says Venezuela interim authorities will sell up to 50 million barrels of oil to the US as political tensions rise after Maduro’s arrest.

President Donald Trump announced on social media that “Interim Authorities” in Venezuela will sell 30 million to 50 million barrels of “High Quality” oil to the United States at market prices.

“I have asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to implement this plan immediately,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States.”

Trump stated that he would control the money as president, but it would be utilized to benefit Venezuelans and Americans alike.

Separately, the White House is planning an Oval Office meeting with oil giant executives on Friday to discuss Venezuela, with officials from Exxon, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips expected to attend, according to a source familiar with the situation who requested anonymity to discuss the arrangements.

Venezuela has almost one-fifth of the world’s oil reserves, but observers warned that a rapid increase in output would be hampered by a number of factors, including creaking infrastructure, low pricing, and political uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, reiterated Tuesday that no foreign entity was managing her country after Donald Trump declared Washington would “run” it during the transition period following her predecessor’s ouster.

Rodriguez, who served as vice president under deposed leader Nicolas Maduro, has sent contradictory signals about her willingness to collaborate with Trump, sounding conciliatory at times and confrontational at others.

Speaking three days after US special forces kidnapped Maduro and his wife in a surprise raid in Caracas preceded by bombings, Rodriguez stated, “The government of Venezuela is in charge in our country, and no one else.”

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“There is no foreign agent governing Venezuela.”

Trump insists Washington is now “in charge” of the Caribbean country, but he is willing to cooperate with Rodriguez if she agrees to his demand for access to Venezuela’s massive oil reserves.

Rodriguez has extended an olive branch, but she also appears to be eager to keep the hardliners in charge of the security forces and paramilitaries that have been patrolling the streets since Maduro’s capture.

“We are a people that does not surrender, that does not give up,” she stated, honoring the “martyrs” of the US strikes.

Venezuela’s military published a list of 23 servicemen killed in US strikes on Tuesday, the first confirmation of losses. The list included five generals.

Separately, top ally Cuba announced the deaths of 32 Cuban military personnel, including two colonels and a lieutenant colonel, many of whom were members of Maduro’s security detail.

Venezuela has yet to confirm the number of civilian casualties in the operation that captured Maduro and Flores and transported them to the United States for trial.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab talked Tuesday of “dozens” of civilian and military deaths, but did not provide a breakdown.