Venezuela retains ownership and sovereignty over its oil within the framework of the oil deal concluded with the US, said on Saturday the interim President of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
"One thing must be absolutely clear: Venezuela retains ownership and sovereignty over its resources," Rodriguez said, quoted by BTA.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that the US had concluded with Venezuela "the largest oil deal in history", under which they gained control over 65 billion barrels of oil from Venezuela's oil reserves.
Nearly nine months ago, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured by The announcement comes after weeks of negotiations between the United States and Venezuela on a deal that would give American companies long-term access to a group of Venezuelan oil fields and guarantee crude supplies to the United States. Sources previously told Reuters that another model was being considered, in which the oil fields could be auctioned off to American producers, but that scheme could face legal and constitutional hurdles in Venezuela, where the state retains control of key oil operations. The deal would dramatically expand the U.S. role in Venezuela's oil industry as the Trump administration seeks to revive the country's flagging output and provide more crude for U.S. refineries. Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves but produces only about 1.25 million barrels per day- far below its potential after years of underinvestment, resource mismanagement and sanctions, Reuters notes.