Trump says Venezuela deal will send oil to the US
發佈日期: 2026-01-07 21:54
TVB News
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to sell Venezuelan oil in the wake of Washington's seizure of the country's president, Nicolas Maduro.
He said a deal has been reached for Venezuela to transfer 30 million to 50 million barrels of crude previously sitting idle because of a US blockade.
The deal is a sign that the Venezuelan government under interim president Delcy Rodriguez is working with the Trump administration.
While Maduro is facing drug trafficking charges in New York, Donald Trump is charging after Venezuelan oil.
Trump has assigned US Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute the deal in which the oil will be taken from ships and sent directly to US ports.
This would divert supplies meant for China and help Venezuela avoid deeper oil production cuts.
"This oil will be sold at market price and the money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States," Trump said on social media.
US oil company Chevron, the main joint venture partner for Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA, currently controls the flow of oil from the South American country. Trump wants Venezuela to give US companies more access to its oil.
Last month, the US imposed a complete blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the country.
Trump is reportedly set to meet US oil company executives on Friday to discuss ways to revitalise Venezuela's energy industry, the infrastructure of which is largely neglected.
He hopes the US oil companies can invest billions to revive the sector in a country believed to boast the largest oil reserves in the world.
However, some oil and gas experts have reservations about Trump's plan, pointing out that Venezuela's Merey crude is highly viscous and heavy, making it difficult to extract and among the most expensive to process. In addition, renovating its aging infrastructure would be costly.
Some analysts suggest that Trump's focus on Venezuelan oil stems from the fact that the US primarily extracts light crude oil domestically, while Venezuela's heavy crude better meets the needs of the US oil industry chain.
Heavy oil also has wider military applications, such as serving as fuel for aircraft carriers.
Meanwhile, the US action against Venezuela has sparked concerns among Cubans that their country's economy, heavily dependent on oil imports, could suffer.
Venezuela has supplied Cuba with oil at subsidised prices for decades to keep its economy running.
Analysts note that Cuba has been preparing for such a scenario and will try to buy oil from other exporters.
