US President Donald Trump said Saturday India plans to buy oil from Venezuela, moving away from Iranian sources. He also welcomed Chinese investment in Venezuelan oil,stating, "China is welcome to come in and will make a great deal on oil." But Trump's claims lack confirmation from India or Venezuela .
On a flight to Mar-a-Lago, Trump told reporters, "India's coming in and they're going to be buying Venezuelan oil,as opposed to buying it from Iran." His comments grabbed headlines in Indian media like NDTV and The Times of India, calling it "Trump's big claim." Yet, New Delhi hasn't responded .
Same day,Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez reached out to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss boosting ties in energy,trade,investment. Modi later tweeted they agreed to deepen partnership,marking the first leadership-level contact since Venezuela's political turmoil.
India's oil strategy has been under scrutiny,especially after it stopped imports from Iran in 2019 due to US sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program. Last year, India also stopped buying Venezuelan oil after a 25% tariff by Trump. Indian refiners turned to US oil, then became largest buyer of discounted Russian oil amid sanctions on Moscow.
In August 2022,Trump hiked tariffs on Indian imports to 50%,pressuring New Delhi to cut Russian oil purchases. But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted in January the extra tariff could be lifted,citing a drop in Indian imports of Russian oil .
Trump's talk about Venezuela suggests a US policy shift,claiming control over country's oil resources since Nicolas Maduro was ousted . He said,"We're going to be selling a lot of oil, and we'll take some, and they'll take a lot," as US readies to boost crude deliveries to refineries.
Despite Trump's confident statements, experts are skeptical. Li Haidong,professor at China Foreign Affairs University,said Trump's claims lack backing from Indian or Venezuelan officials. He called US-India ties increasingly volatile,criticizing US trade approach as heavy-handed .
Li said US's demands for compliance with its rules show a "law of the jungle" mindset,undermining norms in oil trade . Many countries are now wary of US due to its unpredictable moves.
Responding to US insistence that Venezuela must align with American interests in oil,Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reiterated that Venezuela is sovereign with full rights over its resources. Mao condemned US actions as violations of international law and an infringement on Venezuelan sovereignty…
