07/01/2026
Trump Says Venezuela Will Surrender 30–50 Million Barrels of Oil to US
Venezuela's interim government will be turning over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, President Donald Trump has announced just days after toppling the country's leader Nicolas Maduro.
He said the US will sell the oil and the money will be controlled by the President for the benefit of Venezuelans and Americans.
“I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 million barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that 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! I have asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute this plan, immediately. It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States,” he added.
The US' operation in Venezuela continues to receive criticism worldwide, including from allied countries, who see it as an act of military aggression against a sovereign state.
But Washington has maintained its narrative that the operation was against drug trafficking allegedly run by Nicolas Maduro, whom the US had long labeled as a fugitive.