US President Donald Trump announced a complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers heading to or leaving from Venezuela. This decision follows numerous accusations against the Venezuelan government of stealing American assets, including oil and land. According to Trump, the regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela uses oil from these fields to finance terrorism, drug trafficking, and other crimes.
Speaking on his platform Truth Social, Trump stated: "The illegitimate Maduro regime is using oil from stolen American fields. For the theft of our assets and other crimes, the Venezuelan regime has been deemed a foreign terrorist organization." He also mentioned that Venezuela is completely surrounded by an American armada, which will serve as a "shock" signal to the regime until all stolen assets are returned.
The sanctions, announced in October, include a blockade of major Russian oil companies such as Lukoil and Rosneft. A reduction in shipping volumes from Russian ports in Asia is already being observed - a decline of about 15% to 800,000 tons in November.
This US policy could significantly impact Russia's strategic plans, as Venezuela is one of the main recipients of Russian oil for blending with local heavy crude. Experts note that the new sanctions increase tensions between the US, Russia, and Venezuela.
It should be recalled that earlier the US Coast Guard seized a supertanker with Venezuelan oil off the coast of South America. This is yet another sign of rising tensions surrounding Venezuela's oil industry.
