President Trump said Venezuelan officials had agreed to send millions of barrels. It would be their first major concession since the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

Live Updates: Trump Says Venezuela Will Start Handing Over Some Oil to U.S.

President Trump said Venezuelan officials had agreed to send millions of barrels. It would be their first major concession since the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

 

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Jack Nicas

Daniel Victor

Updated

Jan. 6, 2026, 10:54 p.m. ET18 minutes ago

Jack Nicas and Daniel Victor

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/06/world/venezuela-maduro-us-trump

 

Here’s the latest.

President Trump said Tuesday night that Venezuela would begin handing over 30 to 50 million barrels of oil — about two months worth of daily production — to the United States.

 

If confirmed, it would be the first significant concession by Venezuela’s new leaders since U.S. forces seized the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. It would be the start of Mr. Trump’s plan to exploit Venezuela’s vast oil reserves under threat of a naval blockade.

 

There was no immediate comment from the Venezuelan authorities.

 

Based on Mr. Trump’s claim and at current market prices, Venezuela would be relinquishing between $1.8 and $3 billion worth of oil. It is unclear if the country would receive anything in return.

 

In Venezuela, there have been signs of an intensifying crackdown by the government, with the so-called colectivos, or armed government militias, out in full force on the streets of Caracas, the capital, in recent days. Some citizens said the colectivos had been interrogating people and searching their phones for signs of support for the U.S. attacks. At least 14 journalists have been detained, and at least two people have been arrested for celebrating Mr. Maduro’s capture.

 

Mr. Trump, when asked by reporters on Sunday whether he had discussed with the Venezuelan government the release of political prisoners or the return of opposition politicians to the country, seemed to foreshadow his plans. “We haven’t gotten to that yet,” he said. “What we want to do now is fix up the oil.”

 

Even as the president asserted U.S. authority in Venezuela, the country’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, struck a defiant tone, contradicting Mr. Trump’s claim and affirming that the regime Mr. Maduro had installed remained in power.

 

“The government of Venezuela runs our country,” she said. “No one else. There is no external agent governing Venezuela.”

 

A large crowd supporting Mr. Maduro marched through the streets of Caracas on Tuesday, demanding his release from an American jail. Some Venezuelan government officials took part in a rally that was broadcast on state television.

 

Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s interior minister, who is also under indictment in the United States, gave a defiant speech. “The voices in Venezuela are rising up, demanding that Nicolás and Cilia be returned to us,” Mr. Cabello said, referring to the ousted president and his wife, who is also in U.S. custody. “With you, we go to battle.”