Vance Says U.S. Will Use Venezuela's 'Incredible Natural Resources' to Gain 'Leverage on Enemies' After Maduro's Capture

Vice President JD Vance said that Washington's actions in Venezuela are aimed in part at securing control over the country's natural resources, arguing that access to energy and strategic leverage are central to U.S. interests following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking on Fox News, Vance said the operation ordered by President Donald Trump would allow the United States to exert greater influence over Venezuela's oil and energy sector. "First, we're going to be able to control the incredible natural resources in Venezuela, which is good for America in a few ways," Vance said. "Number one, it allows us to put leverage on our enemies."

He added that access to Venezuela's resources would help ensure energy security at home. "It makes sure that if Americans need high-quality, low-cost power, we're always going to have access to it," he said.

The vice president said previous Venezuelan governments had allowed U.S. rivals to gain access to energy resources and had used oil revenues to fund activities Washington describes as narcotrafficking. Cutting off those funding streams, he said, would benefit Americans by lowering energy costs and increasing U.S. influence over global supply.

"It's going to mean cheaper gas and energy prices for Americans," Vance said, "and maybe most importantly, it's going to mean that we have more control over the energy resources that exist in the world."

Vance also defended the operation that led to Maduro's capture, saying it demonstrated U.S. military capability and deterrence. "Some of the best ways to maintain peace is you make it clear that you carry a very strong sword if you ever need to use it," he said in a previous interview.

Vance said Venezuela lies within what he described as the United States' "neighborhood," echoing the administration's broader argument that access to energy resources in the Western Hemisphere is a core U.S. strategic interest:

"This is in our neighbourhood and if we cannot follow the basic principle which has been a cornerstone of American foreign policy, for 200 years that we control our neighbourhood, a lot of bad people can take advantage of it.... In your neighbourhood, the United States calls the shots, that's the way it has always been, that's the way it's again on the President's leadership"