The Government of The US completed a first sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 millionaccording to a government official cited by cnn. More crude oil sales are expected in the coming days and weeks.
According to clarify The New York Times In its Spanish version, the oil in question is that which “has been trapped in the country since Donald Trump’s government began a partial blockade against oil tankers transporting crude oil from Venezuela.”
The operation occurs in the midst of the new scenario after the US attack against Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro at the beginning of January, an event that has marked a change in the relationship between Washington and Caracas, now with greater understandingdespite the bombing on Saturday, January 3.
Since then, US President Donald Trump has made clear his interest in taking advantage of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
Last Friday, Trump stated that the oil industry would invest at least $100 billion to rebuild the Venezuelan energy sector, although he did not specify the origin of that figure. However, those plans generated skepticism among American energy executives during a meeting at the White House.
Regarding the sale already completed, if the agreement is successful, its scope could be expanded beyond the barrels in storage, reported the Times.
US and Venezuelan oil
“It is not viable to invest,” ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods told government officials, warning that there are legal and commercial obstacles that prevent clearly evaluating the return on an investment in Venezuela.
Others Executives also expressed their reluctance to do business in the South American countryand the meeting concluded without concrete commitments from the companies.
Trump Administration demands that Venezuela cut off with Cuba and other allies to reactivate oil
Specific details of the first oil sale were unclear Wednesday.
However, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement that “President Trump’s team is facilitating positive and ongoing discussions with oil companies that are ready and willing to make unprecedented investments to restore Venezuela’s oil infrastructure,” reported cnn.
In parallel, Reuters reported that Venezuelan crude oil is being offered on the market at a discount compared to oil from other competing countries, such as Canada.
Negotiations between Trump and the Bolivarian Government
In this context, Trump and the president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, held a meeting this Wednesday telephone conversationwhich both described as positive. The US president described Rodríguez as “a fantastic person” and assured that It is “someone with whom we have worked very well.”
Rodríguez, for his part, pointed out that the conversation was “long, productive and courteous,” and that it took place “in a framework of mutual respect,” in which a bilateral agenda and pending issues between both governments were addressed, according to the same source.
This rapprochement represents a significant change in the relationship between Washington and Caracas after the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3, as part of a military intervention in several areas of the country.
Meanwhile, this Thursday the US Coast Guard seized the oil tanker Verónica in Caribbean waters, accused of violating the blockade imposed by Washington on Venezuelan crude oil, according to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and as the agency reported in a report. EFE.
