The White House has indicated that it is prepared to allow India to resume purchases of Venezuelan crude oil under a new US-controlled framework, raising the prospect of a partial reopening of energy trade that has been frozen for years due to American sanctions.
Responding to a query on whether Washington was ready to let India buy Venezuelan oil in view of its growing energy needs, a senior official from the Trump administration answered in the affirmative. “Yes,” the official said, while noting that the operational details of the arrangement were still being finalised.
The official referred to recent remarks by US Energy Secretary Christopher Wright, who said the United States would be open to Venezuelan oil being sold to “almost all countries,” but strictly under a tightly monitored structure.
In an interview with Fox Business, Wright explained that Venezuelan oil was being allowed to flow again, though not freely. “So that oil, we’re allowing it to flow. Again, it’s marketed by the United States government. The money’s gonna flow into accounts,” he said, underlining that the transactions would remain under US oversight.
If implemented, the framework could enable India to diversify its crude sourcing while ensuring that revenues from Venezuelan oil sales are routed through mechanisms approved by Washington, maintaining the broader sanctions architecture on Caracas.