US President Donald Trump claimed that India will buy Venezuelan oil instead of purchasing crude from Iran. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Florida, he said, "China is welcome to come in and make a great deal on oil. We have already made a deal. India is coming in, and they are going to be buying Venezuelan oil as opposed to buying it from Iran. So, we've already made the concept of the deal. But China's welcome to come in and buy oil."
The Indian government has not yet responded to Trump's comments yet.
US pitches Venezuelan crude to India
Trump's comments came a day after indications from the United States that New Delhi could soon be allowed to resume purchases of Venezuelan crude oil. US leaders are urging India to view Venezuelan oil as an alternative to Russian imports, as part of Washington's wider strategy to curb financial flows to Moscow amid the Ukraine war.
Earlier, Trump said that Venezuela has offered Washington "50 million barrels of oil" worth USD 5.2 billion, and he has agreed to that deal.
Addressing the press on the renaming of Southern Boulevard to Donald Trump Boulevard, Trump said, "We're dealing with the new President. We're dealing with a lot of the people who are running the country...They said, we have 50 million barrels of oil, and we have to get it processed immediately because we have no room. Will you take it? I said, we'll take it. It's equivalent to USD 5.2 billion."
Trump's comments also confirms recent report of New York-based news outlet Semafor that the US has made its first sale of Venezuelan oil valued at USD 500 million.
According to the Semafor report, revenue from the oil sales is currently being held in bank accounts controlled by the US government, as indicated in Friday's order, according to the administration official. The main account, according to a second senior administration official, is located in Qatar.
PM Modi talks with Acting President Delcy Rodriguez
Meanwhile, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, during which both sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in energy, trade, and investment.
Rodríguez was formally sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president on January 5 following a turbulent political transition that led to the removal of President Nicolás Maduro in a dramatic United States military action. Her appointment was ordered by Venezuela’s Supreme Court after Maduro’s capture.
"Spoke with the Acting President of Venezuela, Ms. Delcy Rodríguez. We agreed to further deepen and expand our bilateral partnership in all areas, with a shared vision of taking India-Venezuela relations to new heights in the years ahead," Modi said in an X post.
Rodríguez, 56, is a labour lawyer with close ties to the private sector and a long-standing association with Venezuela’s ruling establishment. She was administered the oath of office by her brother Jorge Rodríguez, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly.
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