US President Donald Trump said that the United States is open to selling oil to Russia and China.
„China can buy as much oil from us as it wants, either there (in Venezuela) or in the United States. Russia can get all the oil it needs from us. And yes, they like oil, even though they produce a lot of it themselves. But China, Russia and everyone else can come to us and we will be open for business almost immediately,” Trump said during a meeting with the heads of leading US oil and gas companies.
He added that China needs a lot of oil and the US is ready to supply it.
"If the US had not taken control of Venezuela's oil sector, China and Russia would have had that opportunity," the president said. The meeting was broadcast on the White House YouTube channel.
He said that the US position on Venezuela had been communicated to both countries and that the US was open to cooperation in the energy sector. Trump added that he had told China and Russia that the US “get along very well” with them, but they don't want them in Venezuela.
The Financial Times previously reported that American oil companies are demanding legal and financial guarantees from the US government before investing in Venezuela.
Amid US negotiations with Caracas for the supply of up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, Trump is pushing for the participation of American companies in Venezuela's energy sector and control over oil revenues, the publication notes.
Trump also said that the interim Venezuelan authorities would transfer 30 to 50 million barrels of oil to the US at market prices, with the funds personally controlled by him.
Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves – approximately 17% – but produces less than 1% of the world's total reserves due to nationalization, sanctions, and governance problems at PDVSA.
Since the early 1990s, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, and other companies have invested approximately $17 billion in heavy oil production in the Orinoco Belt. In 2006–2007, the Venezuelan government demanded the transfer of a controlling stake in PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela, Sociedad Anonima – the state-owned oil and gas company of Venezuela), which led to the withdrawal of Exxon and ConocoPhillips from the country and billions of dollars in arbitration proceedings. Chevron remained in the country as a minority partner in PDVSA. European companies also retained smaller stakes in state-controlled joint ventures.
Trump also said he had warned Moscow and Beijing of his desire for exclusive U.S. cooperation with Venezuela. He also said he loves the people of Russia and China.
“I love the people of China. I love the people of Russia.“
The United States will open fire on Iran if the country's authorities shoot at protesters, Trump added.
“We're going to hit them really hard where it hurts. And that doesn't mean armed forces on the ground, but really hard where it hurts. Iran is in a very difficult situation,” Trump said.