US Claims Control of 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuelan Reserves in Post-Market Announcement

A public statement by President Donald Trump declaring a major energy agreement involving Venezuelan crude oil reserves occurred late on a Friday evening, according to a report published by OilPrice.com. The announcement described the arrangement as an agreement providing the United States with majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's proven oil reserves. The statement claimed that the deal would significantly increase U.S. petroleum supplies while substantially lowering domestic gasoline prices for consumers.

The release occurred after benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures had concluded trading for the week on the CME Globex exchange platform. As detailed in the OilPrice.com analysis, WTI futures trade continuously from Sunday evening through Friday afternoon, after which the primary futures market remains closed until Sunday evening. CME notes that geopolitical occurrences and sudden shifts in official oil policy can exert profound impacts on global crude supply dynamics and benchmark energy prices.

The timing of executive policy announcements outside active trading hours illustrates how information dissemination can affect energy markets. According to OilPrice.com, advance knowledge of statements claiming major shifts in oil availability enables market participants to establish financial positions—utilizing crude oil futures, options, swaps, or forward contracts—prior to the reopening of primary exchanges. The reporting also pointed to a paid early-access feature launched on the Truth Social platform for posts made by Trump, which alters how market-moving information is received by different audiences.

This announcement coincides with broader regional energy developments highlighted across industry news briefs from OilPrice.com. These include reports of Chevron committing a $7 billion expansion in Venezuelan oil operations, as well as Chevron, ONGC, and GE Vernova nearing finalized energy agreements in the country. Additionally, statements attributed to the U.S. Energy Secretary indicate that Venezuelan crude production could potentially more than double, while new agreements aim to alter international participation in Venezuelan oilfields.