US won’t rule out pressuring Venezuela to curb China, Russia ties

The White House on Wednesday stopped short of denying reports that the United States has urged Venezuela to cut ties with adversaries such as China, Russia and Iran, but emphasised Washington’s determination to maintain “American dominance” in the western hemisphere and all decisions made by Caracas will be “dictated” by the US.

During a media briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cited frequent leaks coming out of classified briefings and stated she would “not confirm or deny or get into” what senior administration officials told in “classified settings” to members of Congress.

However, she stated that the administration has made it “quite clear” to the interim authorities in Venezuela that “this is the western hemisphere and American dominance is going to continue under this president”.

Hours later, US President Donald Trump took to social media to announce a major economic pivot by Caracas, saying Venezuela had agreed to use revenue from a new oil arrangement to buy only American‑made goods, from agricultural produce to medical devices, and to treat the US as its “principal partner”.

Leavitt earlier in the day asserted that the US “obviously” has “maximum leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela right now”, declaring that all decisions made by Venezuela’s interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez “are going to continue to be dictated by the United States of America”.