Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Trump Touts Surge in Venezuela Crude Oil


(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump celebrated a dramatic surge in crude oil exports from Venezuela on Friday, framing the energy flows as a mutual win for both nations amid a striking shift in bilateral relations.

Speaking at an event in Texas, Trump pointed to export figures he described as rising by hundreds of thousands of barrels per day, singling out a tanker he claimed was docked nearby.

"Think 80 million barrels of oil. Think of what that means," Trump said. "It's great for Venezuela, and it's great for us."

The remarks come in the wake of a dramatic geopolitical turning point. On Jan. 3, the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, setting off a chain of consequential developments — including the swearing-in of Delcy Rodriguez as interim president, revisions to the country's flagship oil legislation, and the release of a number of political prisoners.

Trump described the current state of US-Venezuelan relations as markedly improved, offering an unusually warm characterization of the formerly adversarial government.

"With our new friend and partner, Venezuela, we're going to do a lot of other things. We're going to be doing a lot. We're having a great relationship with their government," he said. "In fact, 360,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude are right now sitting in the tanker on my left."

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