Venezuela’s oil... Venezuela’s interim authorities will transfer thirty to fifty million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States, where Trump will use money from its sale “to benefit the people” of both countries, he wrote on social media yesterday. He did not offer a timeline or other details. Venezuela’s interim government did not immediately respond to Trump's announcement. Meanwhile, U.S. authorities moved today to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker that attempted to evade the U.S. blockade on Venezuelan oil.
…and opposition leadership. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado praised the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro as “a huge step for humanity, freedom, and human dignity” and called for new elections in a Fox News interview yesterday. Venezuela’s constitution mandates an election occur within thirty days if a president is “permanently unavailable” to serve, but the interim authorities have announced no such plans. Trump earlier this week dismissed the possibility of Venezuelan elections within the next month.
U.S. plans for Greenland. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during a closed briefing Monday that the United States aims to buy Greenland rather than invade it militarily, unnamed sources told The Wall Street Journal. However, other administration officials, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, have refused to rule out military intervention. The White House press secretary said yesterday that “acquiring Greenland is a national security priority” and that the administration was considering various options, including military action.
China-Japan tensions. Japan today denounced China’s new export curbs on dual-use technologies, with its top government spokesperson saying the measures—which target only Japan—stray from international practice and are “absolutely unacceptable.” China escalated trade tensions with Japan on another front today, announcing a new anti-dumping probe into a material used for making semiconductor chips. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s comments on Taiwan in November.
Rebel rule in the DRC. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are establishing administrative, tax, and legal structures in parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to an interim UN expert report seen by Bloomberg. Their efforts flout U.S. and Qatari work to ensure the group’s withdrawal from the region. Rwanda’s government did not immediately comment.
Israel-Somaliland ties. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland yesterday after Israel became the first country in the world to officially recognize the breakaway territory’s independence last month. Saar said that Israel would soon open an embassy in Somaliland. Abdirahman Dahir Adan, Somaliland’s foreign minister, denied reports that Somaliland had been approached by Israel about receiving Palestinians from Gaza.
Saudi opening to investment. Saudi Arabia will end restrictions on foreign investors operating in its capital market starting February 1, authorities said. Currently, investors have to go through a qualification process to gain access. Yet JP Morgan said the major change foreign investors are looking for this year in Saudi Arabia is a step further: increased permissions for foreign ownership of Saudi companies, which it expects in the second half of the year or later.
Israel-Syria channel. The two countries agreed to establish an intelligence sharing and military de-escalation channel during U.S.-mediated talks in Paris yesterday, the U.S. State Department said. Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria since the arrival of the current Ahmed al-Sharaa government, citing security concerns, even as Washington has urged the countries to reconcile.
