Secretary of State Marco Rubio touted the "tremendous leverage and control" the United States now exerts over Venezuela's oil industry and suggested Venezuela wants the oil captured in the Caribbean Wednesday by U.S. forces to be a part of its export deal with the administration.

After the secretary of state unveiled a proposal for managing Venezuela and the U.S. forces boarded a Russian-flagged tanker and a second ship, President Trump had a phone call with President Gustavo Petro of Colombia amid escalating tensions between the two leaders.

It’s not going to cost us anything," Rubio said of the Trump Administration's plans to transform Venezuela and sell its oil

Since the dramatic capture of dictator Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces, questions have swirled about who is running Venezuela and how.

A U.S. ETF provider has sought approval to launch the first-ever exchange-traded fund tracking companies exposed to Venezuela, as the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend sparked a rally in local assets.

Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), whose south Florida district includes many Cubans and Venezuelans eager for regime change in those countries, said Maria Corina Machado, the country’s exiled opposition leader and winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, hasn’t been pushed aside.

Venezuela comparison while discussing the search for new defensive coordinator after firing Matt Eberflus this week.

Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA said on Wednesday it is progressing in negotiations with the United States for oil sales, as a board member for the company told Reuters the U.S. will need to buy cargoes at international prices.