US vice president says military operation in Venezuela increases control over energy resources

US Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the military operation in Venezuela is aimed at curbing funding for narco-terrorism and giving Washington greater control over global energy resources.

Speaking to the Salem News Channel, Vance said the US wants what is best for the Venezuelan people and for the American people.

"Whoever the leader of that country is, is going to have to play ball with the United States," he said, emphasizing that previous Venezuelan policies had allowed foreign competitors access to cheap energy while using revenue to fund activities that threaten the US.

President Donald Trump said Jan. 3 that the military operation resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and pledged to assert American control over Venezuela for the time being, with US troops if necessary.

"What the president did, and really the entire team made possible, is to cut off that flow of energy money to narcoterrorists to then, of course, cut off the amount of narcoterrorism that's being imported in the United States of America," said Vance.

He added that the move is expected to reduce gas and energy prices for Americans while saving lives.

"I think it's going to save lives. It's going to mean cheaper gas and energy prices for Americans. And maybe most importantly, it's going to mean that we have more control over the energy resources that exist in the world, which makes it possible for us, of course, to achieve better economic results for our people, and to use those energy resources as leverage to achieve greater peace and prosperity," he added.

The vice president called the operation "very important" and praised its execution as "flawless."