Trump: U.S. ‘In the Oil Business’ as Venezuela Infrastructure Collapses

President Donald Trump said the United States’ actions in Venezuela would not harm its relationships with China or Russia and emphasized that the U.S. plans to expand oil sales globally as Venezuela’s production capacity continues to decline.

Trump addressed questions about how U.S. operations involving Venezuela could affect relations with countries such as China, Russia and Iran, all of which have interests in the country.

Trump suggested that concerns about Russia could be resolved and stressed that the United States remains focused on selling oil rather than restricting access to it.

“In terms of China and Russia, we’ll get things straightened out,” Trump said. “But in terms of other countries that want oil, we’re in the oil business. We’re going to sell it to them.”

Trump said Venezuela’s deteriorating infrastructure has sharply limited its ability to produce oil, creating opportunities for the United States to increase its own exports.

He predicted that U.S. oil sales would rise significantly as a result.

“We’ll be selling oil probably in much larger doses because they couldn’t produce very much,” Trump said, referring to Venezuela. “So we’ll be selling large amounts of oil to other countries, many of whom are using it now, but I would say many more will come.”

The president also referenced concerns related to drugs alongside oil, though he did not provide specific details on how U.S. actions in Venezuela would address drug-related issues or affect foreign stakeholders.

China, Russia and Iran have maintained economic and strategic ties with Venezuela, particularly in the energy sector, as the South American country continues to face economic collapse and declining oil output.

Trump’s remarks underscore his administration’s view that reduced Venezuelan production strengthens the United States’ position as a major global energy supplier, even amid geopolitical competition over the country’s oil reserves.