US President Donald Trump has assured oil executives that they will enjoy 'total safety' if they invest in Venezuela after the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro, as part of a broader push to revive the country's oil industry and keep gasoline prices low.
The White House meeting with executives from 17 major oil companies, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips, came as the US military raided Venezuela, seizing tankers carrying the country's oil. Trump has seized on the opportunity to portray the move as a new economic chance for the US.
However, some experts have expressed skepticism about investing in Venezuela, citing ongoing state asset seizures, sanctions, and political uncertainty. "If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it's un-investable," said ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods.
The Trump administration has suggested that it will help backstop any investments, but critics argue that this may not be enough to secure deals. Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program, described the US military's removal of Maduro as "violent imperialism" and accused Trump of seeking to "hand billionaires control over Venezuela's oil".
As part of its efforts to turn around Venezuela's oil production, which has slumped below one million barrels a day, the US is exploring the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with the country. A delegation from the White House arrived in Caracas on Friday to assess the potential reopening of the US Embassy.
Trump also announced that he would meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro in early February, a surprise move after previously threatening to take action against him over his alleged ties to cocaine trafficking. The US and Colombia have long cooperated on counternarcotics efforts, with Washington providing Bogotá with billions of dollars in aid in recent years.
The meeting with oil executives comes as the Trump administration seeks to secure $100 billion in investments from private companies to revive Venezuela's oil industry. However, the road ahead is fraught with challenges, and it remains to be seen whether Trump can deliver on his promise of 'total safety' for investors.
The White House meeting with executives from 17 major oil companies, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips, came as the US military raided Venezuela, seizing tankers carrying the country's oil. Trump has seized on the opportunity to portray the move as a new economic chance for the US.
However, some experts have expressed skepticism about investing in Venezuela, citing ongoing state asset seizures, sanctions, and political uncertainty. "If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it's un-investable," said ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods.
The Trump administration has suggested that it will help backstop any investments, but critics argue that this may not be enough to secure deals. Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program, described the US military's removal of Maduro as "violent imperialism" and accused Trump of seeking to "hand billionaires control over Venezuela's oil".
As part of its efforts to turn around Venezuela's oil production, which has slumped below one million barrels a day, the US is exploring the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with the country. A delegation from the White House arrived in Caracas on Friday to assess the potential reopening of the US Embassy.
Trump also announced that he would meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro in early February, a surprise move after previously threatening to take action against him over his alleged ties to cocaine trafficking. The US and Colombia have long cooperated on counternarcotics efforts, with Washington providing Bogotá with billions of dollars in aid in recent years.
The meeting with oil executives comes as the Trump administration seeks to secure $100 billion in investments from private companies to revive Venezuela's oil industry. However, the road ahead is fraught with challenges, and it remains to be seen whether Trump can deliver on his promise of 'total safety' for investors.
because like there's already sanctions and all that going on, and then theres the whole situation with maduro gettin ousted and now its just a power vacuum and stuff. 
and whats up with the us military raiding tankers carrying venezuelas oil? isnt that just kinda...aggressive? 
. And what's with the "total safety" promise? Is he kidding me? 
I'm not convinced it's gonna be a smooth ride for those oil companies. And what about the $100 billion investment goal? That sounds like a lot of risk for the US to take on, if you ask me... 
. The US just takes out Maduro and suddenly they're like "oh, let's all be friends" with Venezuela? No way, this is a power play to get control of that oil 
. And now Trump is guaranteeing "total safety" for investors? Like that's gonna happen in a country with sanctions and asset seizures? 
It's just more propaganda to get those billionaires on board.
. And don't even get me started on the Colombian President meeting with Trump in early February - there's gotta be more to that story... 
Trump thinks he's got some kind of magic solution to reviving Venezuela's oil industry just by waving his hand and promising "total safety" to oil executives? Please, it's not that simple. I'm all for the US trying to help out, but we need to think about the bigger picture here. We're talking about a country with a history of corruption and instability, and now we want to give billions of dollars to a bunch of billionaires just because they want in on the action? 
and what about all those venezuelans who got displaced by the us military? do they even get any consideration? 
. But let's be real, it's like playing a game of geopolitical Jenga - one wrong move and the whole thing comes crashing down 
. And now Trump is talking about meeting with Colombian President Petro... that's some last-minute diplomatic maneuvering if you ask me 
. Either way, it's gonna be interesting to see how this whole Venezuela oil situation plays out 
. That's just not realistic. I wish someone would do some actual research and crunch some numbers before making big decisions like this 
... US just takes over Venezuela's oil and now they're promising "total safety" for the execs? that's rich coming from trump 
...