Venezuela, U.S. Hold Talks On Resuming Venezuelan Crude Exports To American Refineries
Venezuela, U.S. Hold Talks On Resuming Venezuelan Crude Exports To American Refineries
The discussions follow a period when sanctions restricted Venezuelan crude exports to the United States.
Venezuela and United States officials are in discussions over the potential export of Venezuelan crude to the United States, according to Reuters.
“Venezuelan and U.S. officials are discussing exporting Venezuelan crude to the United States,” five government, industry and shipping sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
The talks focus on U.S. refineries along the Gulf Coast, which are capable of processing Venezuela’s heavy crude and had imported it in the past, Reuters reports.
“U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast can process Venezuela’s crude and have imported it in the past, before the U.S. imposed sanctions on Venezuela,” the exclusive report said.
Exclusive: Venezuelan and U.S. officials are discussing exporting Venezuelan crude to the United States, five government, industry and shipping sources told Reuters https://t.co/ki41hMcDK9
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 6, 2026
The discussions follow a period when sanctions restricted Venezuelan crude exports to the United States.
Officials continue to hold talks, and no final agreement on crude shipments has been announced.
The renewed engagement comes against the backdrop of sanctions imposed during the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, when Washington adopted a hardline posture towards Caracas and significantly curtailed Venezuela’s access to the U.S. oil market.
During that period, Trump repeatedly argued that the United States effectively “ran” Venezuela’s oil leverage under sanctions and suggested that U.S. interests would ultimately be taking the country’s oil as pressure on the government intensified.
Those remarks coincided with policies that sharply reduced Venezuelan crude exports to the United States, forcing a redirection of shipments and contributing to a prolonged downturn in the country’s oil production and revenues.
In early January 2026, U.S. forces carried out a controversial operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
The U.S. justified its military operation against President Maduro by accusing him of drug trafficking and narco‑terrorism. Federal indictments alleged that Maduro’s government helped ship tons of cocaine into the United States, and these charges were used as the legal basis for his capture.
Afterwards, President Donald Trump openly stated that the U.S. intended to reassert control over Venezuela’s oil industry, claiming it was originally built with American investment and accusing Maduro’s government of seizing U.S. energy assets.
In one statement, Trump bluntly said the U.S. would “run Venezuela and take over its oil” following Maduro’s arrest.
In his first public comments after being taken to the U.S., Maduro described himself as “kidnapped” and insisted he was innocent.
