- The White House said the oil deal will help secure US energy dominance for the next century as well as purging foreign malign influence from our back yard by excluding China and Russia.
- María Corina Machado questioned the deal, saying the regime is illegitimate and lacks the mandate to negotiate Venezuela's natural resources.
- Many observers expected Trump to replace Maduro with Machado, but he instead backed Rodríguez and sidelined Machado.
- Machado stated: “The wealth of our subsoil does not belong to an illegitimate regime – it belongs to the Venezuelan people,” adding that supporters felt “sadness and anger” at being excluded from the decision-making process.
- Machado said the current occupants of the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas were “enemies of the US,” saying they did not have the right or the democratic mandate to negotiate Venezuela’s natural resources.
- In a video, the Nobel peace prize winner said: “Of course the United States is the principal partner Venezuela needs to fully develop its strategic potential. This is what the majority of Venezuelans believe … and it is something I’ve spent my whole life defending.”
Nobel laureate María Corina Machado has condemned the U.S. oil deal with Venezuela's interim government, labeling it as a transaction with an 'illegitimate regime'. She emphasized that the nation's vast natural resources, which include 303 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, rightfully belong to the Venezuelan people.2345
In a social media video, Machado stated, “Of course the United States is the principal partner Venezuela needs to fully develop its strategic potential.” However, she criticized the current leadership in Caracas, asserting they are 'enemies of the US' and lack the democratic mandate to negotiate on behalf of the Venezuelan populace.6
The deal, struck with interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power after the abduction of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, has raised eyebrows. Machado, a conservative democracy activist, was initially expected to be supported by Trump, but instead, he backed Rodríguez, warning her of severe consequences if she fails to comply with U.S. expectations.
The White House has touted the agreement as a means to secure 'energy dominance for the next century' and to 'purge foreign malign influence from our back yard', specifically targeting China and Russia.1
“Machado, who gave Trump her Nobel prize award, was sidelined as Trump backed Rodríguez, threatening Machado with a 'very big price' if she doesn't comply. She argues the current Miraflores occupants are 'enemies of the US' lacking democratic mandate to negotiate resources.”
theguardian.com
