Washington, Jan 8 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has said Washington expects to oversee Venezuela and extract oil from the country’s vast reserves for years, signalling a prolonged American role with no clear end date following the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, Trump said “only time will tell” how long Washington will maintain direct oversight of Venezuela, but indicated it would be “much longer” than months. “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” Trump said, adding, “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil.”

Trump said the United States plans to control the sale of Venezuelan oil indefinitely, an approach he described as necessary to stabilise the country and lower global energy prices. “We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need,” he said.

The comments came hours after administration officials told Congress that the US would effectively assume control of selling Venezuelan oil as part of a three-phase plan outlined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Republicans have largely backed the approach, while Democrats have warned it risks turning into a long-term intervention without clear legal authority.

Trump declined to say when elections would be held in Venezuela and avoided questions about why Washington recognised Maduro’s Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, as the country’s interim leader instead of backing opposition figures. He said Rubio “speaks to her all the time” and added that US officials are “in constant communication” with the current authorities.

The US President also said it would take years to revive Venezuela’s neglected oil sector. “The oil will take a while,” he acknowledged.

Asked what might prompt the deployment of US ground troops, Trump refused to give specifics. “I can’t tell you that,” he said. “I really wouldn’t want to tell you that.”

Trump insisted that Venezuela’s current leadership is cooperating with Washington despite public criticism. “They’re giving us everything that we feel is necessary,” he said.

The remarks underscore Trump’s focus on the successful military operation that captured Maduro, even as questions mount in Washington about the duration, cost and consequences of the US role in Venezuela.

–IANS

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