Market announcement: Trump urges US companies to develop Venezuelan oil
The United States expects multibillion-dollar investments in the Venezuelan oil industry and is already preparing for impressive earnings. Relations between Washington and Caracas are also changing after the "removal" of Nicolas Maduro to New York - the parties are even discussing the reopening of embassies. However, American oil companies are not yet seeking to occupy the Venezuelan market: it is difficult to work with this fuel — large investments are required, but there is little potential benefit, the business claims. About what is happening in Venezuela after the events of January 3 and whether the appearance of the United States in the Venezuelan oil sector can affect Russia's position in the region — in the Izvestia article.
The United States has announced its plans for Venezuelan oil
The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3 became almost the main topic of the world and Russian media in the first days of 2026. Having achieved a temporary change of power in Caracas, Washington began to expand its influence on the oil and gas industry of the Bolivarian Republic. American President Donald Trump almost immediately announced that the United States would indefinitely take control of oil production in Venezuela, and the funds from the sales would be stored in their accounts and managed independently "in the interests of the peoples of the two countries."
At the end of last week, Trump decided to discuss his plans with the leadership of 17 oil firms. The US leader confidently told reporters that he had managed to "form a deal."
— They will come with hundreds of billions of dollars to extract oil. A lot of money will be earned," the owner of the White House reported.
Chevron, the only American oil producer that managed to maintain its position in Venezuela during the rule of the Chavistas, was the first to respond to Trump's call to start selling Venezuelan oil. The company promised to increase production in the Latin American country by 50% in the next 18-24 months.
However, other American companies do not share this enthusiasm. At a meeting with Trump, Exxon CEO Darren Woods called the Venezuelan market unsuitable for investment now. He also recalled that his company had already entered the Bolivarian Republic twice, having lost billions.
At the same time, Trump said that his plans do not include the return of assets lost during the nationalization of American companies. Moreover, in the issue of "conquering" Venezuela, the US authorities seem to rely more on small businesses than on the oil giants. "Independent oil companies are going crazy, our phones are bursting. They want to be in Venezuela yesterday," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The reluctance of major players to return to the Venezuelan oil market can also be explained by the difficulty in working with this fuel, Alexander Frolov, editor-in-chief of InfoTEK, explains to Izvestia.
— In order to extract Venezuelan oil, it is necessary to carry out long and expensive exploration work, which may not produce results at all. Favorable conditions on the world market are also needed, that is, high prices and rapid growth in demand, so that these volumes of expensive oil production can be dumped on the market and not be afraid of falling prices. There are a lot of doubts that American companies will be able to dramatically increase production in Venezuela, and even more doubts that they are going to do it at all," the expert says.
In an effort to control all oil processes in the region, the United States continues to "hunt" tankers in the Caribbean. In total, at least five such operations were performed. The last was the tanker Olina, which, according to the Equasis shipping database, sailed under the flag of East Timor.
The so-called operation against the tanker Marinera, which was sailing under the flag of the Russian Federation in the North Atlantic, caused a great resonance. According to Western media, even several missile destroyers participated in it. To capture the ship, employees of the Coast Guard and special services of the United States conducted an amphibious landing from several helicopters. However, as stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, Moscow managed to secure the release of two Russian citizens from the Marinera crew.
U.S. cooperation with Russia and China in the field of Venezuelan oil production
At the same meeting with entrepreneurs, Donald Trump touched upon the interests of Russia and China. The American president said that without the US intervention, Moscow or Beijing would have got the oil.
"I'll tell them one thing and I'll tell it to you.": It lies in the fact that we are open for business. China can buy all the oil it wants from us there [in Venezuela] or in the United States. Russia can get all the oil it needs from us. They love oil, even though they produce a lot of it themselves," the American leader said.
Russia and China have long been among Venezuela's key partners. It is noteworthy that the last meeting that Nicolas Maduro held in Caracas just a few hours before the Americans invaded his residence was with the Chinese delegation. Moreover, China National Petroleum Corp. and Sinopec has the right to 4.4 billion barrels of oil reserves in Venezuela, which, according to investment bank Morgan Stanley, is the highest figure among all foreign countries.
A problematic issue in the case of China is the fact that the Beijing authorities had previously provided loans to the Maduro administration in the amount of at least $10 billion, and payments on it were made in oil. It is unclear whether the United States will continue to work on this scheme.
— China has been practically the only market for Venezuelan oil in recent years. For this country, it is the benefits that are more important. It was profitable to buy Venezuelan oil because it was under sanctions. If they are removed, fuel will become more expensive, and China could potentially change the seller," says Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund.
As for Russia, our country has never bought Venezuelan oil, but has participated in oil production projects, the expert explains.
— For the Russian Federation, it was an exceptional gesture of alliance. Even during the time of Hugo Chavez, we received these shares. Changing positions in the Venezuelan market does not threaten any losses for Moscow — moreover, it can even bring profit. China can replace Venezuelan oil at a discount with Russian oil. This, in turn, will mean competition with India," Yushkov believes.
According to the expert, Moscow should not invest in Venezuelan oil production projects now, as this potentially creates competition for Russian raw materials. It is much more profitable to develop mining on your territory.
Meanwhile, Trump is not standing on ceremony with some countries. So, he has already stated that Cuba will no longer receive oil and money from Venezuela, calling on Havana to conclude a deal "before it is too late." In his opinion, Cuba has been living off huge amounts of oil and money from Venezuela for many years, and in return provided security services to the last two Venezuelan leaders. In Havana, these accusations were expectedly denied. President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that Cuba is ready to defend its independence to the last drop of blood.
What is happening in Venezuela after the arrest of Nicolas Maduro
After Nicolas Maduro, power in Venezuela temporarily passed to Delcy Rodriguez, who previously served as vice president, being responsible, among other things, for oil projects. Judging by the numerous leaks, the figure of Rodriguez is quite suitable for the United States during the transition period. It can probably be manipulated and, moreover, it does not contribute to the polarization of Venezuelan society.
Against this background, the restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Venezuela is also taking place. For the first time since 2019, there was talk of reopening embassies in Caracas and Washington. In this regard, a delegation from the State Department has already arrived in Venezuela.
At the same time, the American authorities claim that they will govern the country and this will last exactly as long as it takes to restore. Caracas claims that Maduro is only temporarily not acting as president. This gives the National Assembly the opportunity to keep Delcy Rodriguez at the head of Venezuela for 90 days, and then, if necessary, extend this period for the same period. Nicolas Maduro's official Telegram channel is counting down the days since his abduction. The disgraced president himself, meanwhile, said that he was "doing well," Le Monde reports with reference to his son. "We are fighters," he quotes his father.
The fate of Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, remains unknown. Until March 17 (the second hearing is scheduled for that day) They will be held in a temporary detention facility in Brooklyn (Metropolitan Detention Center, MDC).
Earlier, for several months, Trump claimed that the head of Venezuela was the leader of the Cartel de los Soles drug cartel. The pair are accused of conspiring to carry out drug terrorism, to ship cocaine, and to purchase firearms and explosive devices to act against the United States.
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