European leaders have issued stark criticism of U.S. action in recent days, with French President Macron saying the America is “turning way” from allies, according to Reuters.

"The United States is an established power, but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and freeing itself from international rules it promoted not long ago," Macron said, according to Reuters.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued similar criticism saying, "There is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order."

"It is about preventing the world from turning into a den of robbers, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want, where regions or entire countries are treated as the property of a few great powers," Steinmeier said.

Russia is calling the U.S. seizure of a Russia-flagged oil tanker in the northern Atlantic Ocean “illegal” and a "flagrant violation" of maritime law.

In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed the U.S. attempted to seize the Bella-1 in the Caribbean in December and followed it across the Atlantic Ocean. Russia said it notified the U.S. the oil tanker it calls the Mariner was a Russian ship.

“American authorities, including officially through the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have repeatedly received reliable information regarding the vessel's Russian affiliation and its civilian, peaceful status," the ministry said. "They could not have had any doubts about this, nor was there any basis for speculating that the tanker was sailing 'without a flag' or 'under a false flag.'"

“The suggestions by individual US officials that the seizure of the Mariner is part of a broader strategy to establish Washington's unlimited control over Venezuela's natural resources are extremely cynical. We resolutely reject such neocolonialist pretensions,” the ministry added. “Washington's willingness to generate acute international crises, including in Russian-American relations, already severely strained by the disagreements of recent years, is regrettable and alarming.”

Russia said the action in the North Atlantic “cannot be interpreted as anything other than a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law and freedom of navigation."

"The Marinera incident can only lead to a further escalation of military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region," the statement said.

In a new interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, President Donald Trump said "only time will tell" how long the U.S. will maintain control of Venezuela's oil extraction industry -- suggesting American involvement there will stretch beyond a year.

Asked by the Times if it would be three months, six months, a year or even longer, Trump told them, "I would say much longer."

"We will rebuild it in a very profitable way," Trump said. "We're going to be using oil, and we're going to be taking oil. We're getting oil prices down, and we're going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need."

After Trump announced that the U.S. would obtain 30 to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, he acknowledged to the Times that it will take years to revive their oil sector. "The oil will take a while," he said.

He said the U.S. was "getting along very well" with Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez, though would not say if he had spoken to her himself.

"Marco [Rubio] speaks to her all the time," he said. "I will tell you that we are in constant communication with her and the administration."

Trump made no commitments on when elections would be held or what might prompt him to send in American troops.

The Times asked if he would send American troops if the Venezuelan government blocked him from access to the country's oil or if Caracas refused to eject Russian and Chinese personnel.

"I can't tell you that," Trump said. "I really wouldn't want to tell you that, but they're treating us with great respect. As you know, we're getting along very well with the administration that is there right now."

-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez said Wednesday that Caracas is "open to energy relations where all parties benefit," as U.S. President Donald Trump and top American officials push for control of the country's massive energy resources.

Rodriguez made the remarks during a meeting with members of the National Assembly in Caracas.

"Venezuela is open to energy relations where all parties benefit, where economic cooperation is very well determined in commercial contracts, that is our position and the diversity of our energy relations," she said.

"Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves on the planet and has the largest gas reserves," Rodriguez continued. "Those resources must be at the service of national development, and they must also be at the service of the development of other countries in the world, this is how our oil industry was born with an export vocation."

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Secretary of State Marco Rubio touted the "tremendous leverage and control" the United States now exerts over Venezuela's oil industry and suggested Venezuela wants the oil captured in the Caribbean Wednesday by U.S. forces to be a part of its export deal with the administration.

"We are in the midst right now, and in fact, about to execute on a deal to take all the oil they have -- oil that is stuck in Venezuela," he told reporters following a classified meeting with senators on the Hill.

Rubio pointed to the tanker that was captured and said Venezuela's interim leaders are cooperating because they want to make money off of it.

"They understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the United States, and that's what we see are going to happen," he added.

Rubio and Defense Secretary Hegseth were asked about the cost of the operation.

Hegseth said the question on costs was "disingenuous" because it "undermines the success of one of the most historic military missions the world has ever seen."

He also told reporters that the U.S. military is prepared to continue seizing oil tankers.

Rubio dismissed criticism from lawmakers who accuse the administration of having no plan.

"The bottom line is, we've gone into great detail with them about the planning. We've described it to them," he said of senators on the Hill. "In fact, it's not just winging it. It's not just saying or speculating it's going to happen. It's already happening."

-ABC News' Mariam Khan