Trump Claims $13B in Venezuelan Oil Sales Since Maduro Capture
President Trump says the U.S. has collected over $13 billion selling Venezuelan oil after taking control of the country's energy exports.
President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States has generated more than $13 billion in revenue from Venezuelan oil sales since gaining control of the South American nation's energy exports following the reported capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump's statement marks a significant claim about American involvement in Venezuela's energy sector, suggesting a sweeping shift in who controls the flow of one of Latin America's largest oil reserves. The administration appears to be positioning the development as both a geopolitical and economic victory, with the revenue figure serving as a headline metric for its foreign policy approach in the region.
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The scale of the claimed sales — more than $13 billion — underscores how quickly Washington moved to monetize Venezuelan energy assets once it assumed operational control. Venezuela has long held some of the world's largest proven oil reserves, and any shift in export authority would carry enormous implications for global energy markets and regional diplomacy.
The announcement raises immediate questions about the legal framework governing the U.S. seizure and sale of a sovereign nation's natural resources, as well as how proceeds are being allocated. The geopolitical ramifications of the United States directly profiting from a foreign country's primary export commodity are likely to reverberate through international relations discussions for months to come.
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