The US began selling Venezuelan oil after Maduro's arrest. The first transaction – 500 million dollars
The US has made the first sale of Venezuelan oil since the arrest of Nicolas Maduro, a deal valued at $500 million, as part of the new energy deal “beneficial to the American and Venezuelan peoples” announced by the Trump administration.
The US made the first oil transaction from Venezuela after the arrest of Maduro. PHOTO: Shutterstock
The United States has completed a first sale of oil from Venezuela, marking a first since the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The information was confirmed on Thursday, January 15, for the France Presse agency by an American official who requested anonymity, notes Agerpres.
According to the quoted source, the transaction amounted to approximately 500 million dollars. The US official did not disclose the identity of the buyer, but said this operation could be followed by other similar sales in the coming days or weeks.
Also Thursday, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said that “President Donald Trump negotiated a historic energy deal with Venezuela immediately after the arrest of narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro, beneficial to the American and Venezuelan peoples.”
The statement confirms Washington's major change in strategy regarding the management of the energy resources of the South American state.
We remind you that, last week, Donald Trump announced that “Venezuela's interim authorities are to transfer to the United States between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil subject to sanctions and high quality”, which, according to the international press, would be equivalent to the production of Venezuela for a period of one to two months.
In the same context, Donald Trump also emphasized that he intends to “control” the revenues resulting from the sale of this crude oil and asked the major international oil companies to get directly involved in the exploitation of Venezuela's reserves, claiming that they would be willing to invest “at least 100 billion dollars”. However, the chief executive of the American giant ExxonMobil said that, under the current conditions, it is “impossible to invest” in Venezuela.
The Washington administration's plans call for the government in Caracas to have no role in decisions regarding the exploitation of the country's oil resources. Donald Trump reportedly told energy industry leaders directly that “you will deal directly with us,” stressing that he does not want negotiations between the companies and the Venezuelan authorities.
Late last week, the US president also signed an emergency executive order that provides special protection to Venezuelan assets in the United States, including oil revenues. The measure aims to prevent them from being seized by courts or other creditors, strengthening Washington's control over the financial flows generated by Venezuela's energy resources.
