Crude Politics: US will control sector, sell 50m barrels of Venezuelan oil to ‘stabilise economy’ –Trump

*President Donald Trump’s White House says his administration and oil companies will invest in Venezuelan energy infrastructure, and the Latin American country, in turn, will offer the United States about 50 million barrels of crude oil at the market price valued at $3 billion

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

The White House, in Washington, United States (US), has disclosed the American country will receive 30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil at market price, with proceeds managed by the US administration.

ConsumerConnect gathered the White House decision, in continuation of its accustomed gunboat diplomacy, and illicit, forceful resource grabbing from other economies, followed the recent US military early morning airstrikes in Venezuela.

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The US Commandos Saturday, January 3, 2026, deployed airstrikes in Caracas, capital of Venezuela, during which the country’s forces kidnapped sitting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and his wife.

The American forces immediately wished both President Marudo and wife to New York, to face trumped charges bordering on “narco-terrorism”.

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The US authorities Monday, January 5, arraigned them in a Federal court in Manhattan, New York.

However, President Maduro pleaded not guilty of the alleged “narco-terrorism” charges levelled against them.

He simply described himself as a “prisoner of war” in New York, and still the President of Venezuela.

It is also noted as a new shift in the US –Venezuela energy policy amid long-standing sanctions on the Latin American country.

However, the United Nations (UN), the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, ECOWAS, several world leaders, and global affairs analysts have since decried the President Trump administration’s illegal invasion and possibly occupation of Venezuela, a sovereign nation-state member of the UN.

Reports indicated global oil markets subsequently reacted with lower crude prices, as traders digested the news and its potential impact on supply.

The White House also said Venezuela would provide the United States with 30 million to 50 million barrels of crude oil at the market price.

It is a decision that could subtly reshape US supply dynamics and influence energy prices, agency report stated.

US will control, manage oil wealth to benefit Americans and Venezuelans, says President

President Trump said the oil — currently valued at up to roughly $3 billion based on prevailing crude prices — would be shipped directly to US ports, sold at prevailing market rates.

Trump reportedly said that his administration would manage the oil proceeds to benefit American and Venezuelan citizens alike, report noted.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of escalating US involvement in Venezuela, including recent military operations that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro by the US forces in a dawn raid.

The White House officials, incidentally, have framed the oil arrangement as part of broader efforts at stabilising, and eventually expanding Venezuela’s “underperforming oil sector”.

However, critics, analysts, and observers of global affairs perceived the development differently, just as some other deem the US intervention in the internal affairs of Venezuela as “controversial”.

In a related development, the White House has indicated plans to involve US energy companies in rehabilitating Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, though decades of underinvestment and crumbling facilities mean large-scale production increases will require time and capital.

What happens next

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been tasked with implementing the oil transfer plan, and the White House is expected to host energy industry leaders later this week to discuss long-term strategy.

Whether this marks a temporary tactical adjustment or the start of a deeper US energy engagement in Venezuelan crude markets remains to be seen, but early market signals suggest the announcement has already had a calming effect on prices, report said.

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