Trump Claims Venezuela to Supply Up to 50 Million Barrels of Oil to the U.S.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that interim authorities in Venezuela have agreed to provide between 30 and 50 million barrels of high-quality oil to the American market, following the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump stated that the oil will be sold "at its market price" and that he, as president, would oversee the generated revenue to ensure it benefits both the people of Venezuela and the United States. However, he did not detail how he would directly manage these funds or under what legal framework this would occur.

In the same announcement, Trump mentioned that Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been directed to immediately execute the plan by coordinating the transportation of the oil via storage vessels to U.S. ports.

While Trump emphasized that the oil would come from Venezuela's "interim authorities," he did not clarify whether these barrels are from existing reserves on land or from ships that remain in Venezuelan waters due to recent sanctions and blockades imposed by the U.S. administration.

This announcement occurs amidst a highly tense atmosphere between Washington and Caracas, characterized by actions like the complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela, which was announced by Trump's administration last December, as part of their strategy to economically weaken Maduro's former regime.

Meanwhile, factions within Venezuela's interim regime have maintained a defiant stance towards the U.S., asserting that "no foreign agent governs Venezuela," in response to allegations of political or economic control by Washington.