Trump floats US military base in Venezuela
Donald Trump said on October 1 that he had left open the possibility of a US military base in Venezuela or elsewhere in South America, telling reporters that Washington was "looking at doing a lot of things" with the interim government in Caracas. He described relations with acting President Delcy Rodríguez as strong, said both countries were profiting from Venezuelan oil, and added that the US would soon begin replenishing its strategic petroleum reserve with Venezuelan crude bought cheaply. A permanent US military presence would be at odds with Article 13 of Venezuela's 1999 constitution, which bars foreign powers from setting up military bases in the country.
Why it matters: The remarks link a possible US military presence to an oil arrangement that underpins the rapprochement, making energy security the central axis of the bilateral relationship.