The Trump administration has established specific prerequisites that Venezuela must fulfill to restart its oil production operations, according to two senior White House officials. These demands were communicated to Venezuela’s government following the capture of ousted President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.
Administration officials emphasized that Venezuela’s economic survival without oil revenue remains viable for only several weeks, creating urgent pressure for compliance. The requirements include holding free and fair elections, releasing political prisoners, and eliminating drug trafficking networks operating within the country.
Senator Marco Rubio indicated that the most immediate demands focus on Venezuela expelling foreign adversaries, particularly those from Iran, Russia, and China, while enhancing cooperation on oil sales and counter-narcotics efforts. The substantial US military presence near Venezuela’s coastline serves as leverage to ensure compliance, with administration officials expressing confidence in their coercive strategy.
Should Venezuela cooperate, the administration has signaled willingness to reassess current sanction policies. President Trump has privately communicated his objective to remove Iranian, Russian, and Chinese influence from the Western Hemisphere, with Venezuela’s cooperation representing the initial critical step.
While long-term plans involve extracting substantial oil reserves and rebuilding Venezuela’s energy infrastructure, the immediate priority remains preventing Venezuela from transferring oil resources to foreign adversaries. The administration acknowledges these ambitious goals will require significant time and resources.
Concurrently, President Trump is scheduled to meet with executives from major oil companies, including Chevron—the sole US company currently operating in Venezuela—Exxon Mobil, and ConocoPhillips. This meeting follows Trump’s social media announcement regarding Venezuela’s interim government potentially transferring 30-50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States, with proceeds to be administered under presidential authority.