U.S. Completes First $500 Million Sale of Venezuelan Oil

The United States has completed its first sale of Venezuelan crude oil worth about $500 million, a major early move in Washington’s plan to take control of how Venezuela’s oil is marketed and priced after the recent seizure of President Nicolás Maduro.

According to U.S. officials, the $500 million transaction is only the opening act. More sales are expected “in the coming days and weeks” as the administration pushes quickly to tap Venezuela’s vast reserves and move stranded barrels back into active global trade flows.

A fast push for oil revenue, framed as “rebuilding”

President Donald Trump has publicly tied the oil plan to a broader promise: a drive to rebuild Venezuela’s battered energy infrastructure and restart production at scale. 

He has even floated a headline figure of at least $100 billion in investment to revive the sector, though the basis for that number remains unclear and industry players have openly questioned the feasibility.

Behind the scenes, the administration has been telling the market it wants to convert Venezuela’s reserves into an organized revenue stream, one that can be monetised quickly through crude sales, even while bigger investment commitments remain uncertain.

The central problem: oil executives still see Venezuela as too risky

The most blunt feedback from industry leaders can be summarised in one word: “uninvestible.” Senior energy executives, including ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, have warned U.S. officials that Venezuela’s current operating environment is hostile to long-term capital, because investors cannot confidently model legal protections, contract stability, or reliable returns without major new frameworks.

That skepticism matters because selling crude cargoes is the easy part. Rebuilding an oil sector—pipelines, upgraders, terminals, safety systems, field services, and stable commercial rules, requires multi-year capital commitments. 

For now, Washington has not emerged with clear, public, multi-billion-dollar pledges from major producers.

Discounted crude suggests urgency to move barrels

While the U.S. sells the oil, pricing has been a key lever. Market reporting indicates Venezuelan crude has been offered at a discount compared with some competing supplies, signalling urgency to place cargoes quickly despite the unresolved longer-term investment picture.

At the same time, U.S. officials argue that Washington’s handling of sales is already improving realised pricing versus what Venezuela was achieving under prior constraints, framing it as proof that the strategy can generate better value, at least in the near term.

What this means next

This first $500 million sale establishes a template: move barrels fast, shape pricing, and use early revenues as proof-of-concept while pushing oil companies toward deeper involvement. But the bigger question remains unanswered, whether the “uninvestible” label can be removed quickly enough to unlock the scale of capital required to truly rebuild Venezuela’s oil system.

In the short run, expect more cargoes, more trading activity, and more political messaging around “historic deals.” 

In the medium term, the entire plan hinges on whether Washington can deliver credible legal, commercial, and operational conditions that the industry will actually finance, beyond one-off sales