Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States would receive between 30 and 50 million barrels of what he described as “high-quality” Venezuelan oil at market prices, signaling a dramatic new phase in Washington’s approach to the crisis in the South American country.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that Venezuela’s “temporary authorities” had agreed to sell the oil to the United States. He added that he had instructed Energy Secretary Chris Wright to implement the plan immediately. According to Trump, the oil would be transported via storage tankers and delivered directly to unloading terminals on U.S. shores.
Trump said the proceeds from the transaction would remain under his control as president, but would ultimately be used “for the benefit of the people of Venezuela and the United States,” without providing further details on how the funds would be managed or distributed.
The announcement comes amid intensified political pressure on Caracas and renewed engagement between the White House and major American energy companies. In a separate development, the White House is preparing to host a meeting in the Oval Office on Friday with senior executives from leading oil firms to discuss Venezuela. Representatives from Exxon, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend, according to a person familiar with the arrangements who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump has made clear in recent days that his administration intends to take a far more direct role in shaping Venezuela’s future. Earlier this week, he warned Venezuela’s interim leadership, including Delcy Rodríguez, that she would face a fate “worse than Maduro” if she failed to “do the right thing” and restructure the country in a way aligned with U.S. interests. Trump has also said his administration would now “manage” Venezuela policy and push its leaders to open the country’s vast oil reserves to American energy companies.
Rodríguez, who has been serving as the country’s interim president, responded defiantly on Tuesday. Speaking to officials from government-run agricultural and industrial sectors, she dismissed Trump’s threats. “Personally, to those who threaten me: my destiny is not determined by them, but by God,” she said.
The political standoff is unfolding against a backdrop of mounting violence and instability in Caracas. Earlier on Tuesday, Venezuelan officials released an updated death toll following a weekend strike that targeted President Nicolás Maduro. The attack has further inflamed tensions both inside the country and abroad.
Venezuela’s attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said that “dozens” of security personnel and civilians were killed in the strike carried out over the weekend in the capital. He announced that the public prosecutor’s office would open an investigation into the deaths, describing the incident as a “war crime.” Saab did not specify whether the casualties were all Venezuelan nationals.
Adding an international dimension to the crisis, the Cuban government confirmed earlier that 32 Cuban military and police personnel were killed in the strike while operating in Venezuela. According to Havana, the victims were members of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Interior Ministry, the country’s two main security institutions.
As Washington moves to secure Venezuelan oil supplies and deepen its involvement in the country’s political trajectory, the combination of energy diplomacy, public threats, and deadly violence underscores the volatility of the moment. The coming days, including the White House meeting with oil executives, are likely to shape not only the future of U.S.-Venezuelan relations but also the broader balance of power in the region.
