Filenews 7 January 2026
Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Venezuela would "deliver" up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States. As he mentioned, he will personally control the proceeds from the "sale" of these quantities.
"I am pleased to announce that Venezuela's interim authorities will deliver to the U.S. between 30 million and 50 million barrels of sanctioned high-quality oil," Mr. Trump said via Truth Social. "This oil will be sold at market prices and the money will be controlled by me, the president of the United States, to ensure that it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!" he added.
A few days after the operation to arrest Nicolas Maduro and transfer him to the US to stand trial for drug trafficking, officials from Venezuela and the US are in negotiations aimed at exporting crude oil from Venezuela to the United States.
Reuters, citing five sources with knowledge of the matter, points out that U.S. refineries in the Gulf of Mexico can process heavy crude oil from Venezuela. They imported about 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) before Washington first imposed energy sanctions.
Venezuela has millions of barrels of oil in tankers and storage tanks, which it has not been able to transport to buyers due to the blockade imposed by Donald Trump in mid-December.
Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA has already been forced to cut production due to the embargo because it is running out of storage space for oil. If PDVSA does not find a way to export oil, it will have to reduce production even further.
A deal to sell this "trapped" crude oil to United States refineries will drive it away from China, which has been Venezuela's largest buyer over the past decade and especially since 2020 when the US imposed sanctions on companies involved in the oil trade with Venezuela.
It was not immediately clear how PDVSA, which is under sanction, would generate revenue from oil sales.
The White House, Venezuelan government officials and PDVSA did not comment.
