Washington: President Donald Trump said that the US-led effort involving Venezuela is progressing well, saying oil exports are expected to resume under an arrangement backed by Washington.
“The Venezuelan situation, the leadership is doing a very good job,” Trump said. He said the United States is “getting along very, very well” with those involved in the process.
Trump said countries will soon begin taking Venezuelan oil and that the United States will play a leading role. “We’re inviting countries of the world,” he said. “They’re going to be starting to take the oil.”
He said the plan has worked out smoothly so far. “We’re going to be heading that with the country, and it’s worked out really well,” Trump said.
Trump did not provide details on which countries would participate or how the oil arrangements would be structured. He also did not address the timeline for exports or pricing.
His comments were part of a wider Oval Office session that included discussion of Iran, Ukraine, and domestic policy. Trump spoke confidently about the Venezuela effort and framed it as a success.
Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but production has fallen sharply over the past decade due to economic collapse, infrastructure decay, and sanctions.
Meanwhile, Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Friday demanded answers from oil trading firms Vitol and Trafigura over their role in the Trump administration’s handling of Venezuelan oil sales.
In a letter, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the committee’s ranking Democrat, questioned the companies’ involvement in an initial Venezuelan oil sale valued at about $500 million, saying Vitol and Trafigura stood to make significant profits.
Garcia said campaign finance records show that Vitol senior trader John Addison had previously donated $6 million to President Donald Trump’s campaign, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
“The Trump administration’s shady business dealings regarding Venezuelan oil are being brought to light, and Oversight Democrats have a lot of questions,” Garcia said in a statement.
He accused Trump of using his position to enrich himself while “he deceives the American people and exploits Venezuela,” and said Democrats would continue pressing for details on which companies are profiting from US foreign policy decisions.
In the letter, Garcia wrote that after Trump took unilateral action to deploy the US military to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the administration made clear it intended to control Venezuela’s oil industry and its revenue.
He said the White House subsequently gathered oil drilling and trading companies to present “lucrative opportunities” tied to Venezuelan oil sales, and raised concerns about whether the firms received advance notice of military action. Garcia said the committee is seeking details on any agreements with the administration and how oil revenues are being handled.
(IANS)
