Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez stated on Tuesday that the income from oil sales will be used to improve the country’s health system.
Referring to the US announcement that it would "indefinitely control" crude oil sales from Venezuela, Rodriguez spoke about the revenue generated from oil sales, according to state broadcaster VTV.
She said they have been working on a special plan for the health sector, which has been affected by years of crisis, and that every dollar entering Venezuela from the oil and natural gas sector would be spent on meeting the country’s health system needs.
Rodriguez noted that 75 health centres have been identified under the plan.
However, she did not address statements that the revenue from Venezuela’s oil sales would be transferred to accounts managed by Washington.
Pushback from oil industry, environmental groups
Trump recently called on oil firms to invest $100 billion to revive Venezuela’s oil sector.
“We’re going to be extracting numbers in terms of oil like few people have seen,” he said on Friday.
In addition to pushback from oil companies – with ExxonMobil’s CEO calling Venezuela “uninvestable” – environmental groups have strongly criticised the plan.
“This is both reckless and dangerous,” said Mads Christensen of Greenpeace International.
“The only safe path forward is a just transition away from fossil fuels.”
In a January 3rd military operation in Venezuela, the US abducted President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and brought them to New York, where they pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges.
Trump said his administration would "run" Venezuela and its oil assets during a transitional period.
Despite the optimism expressed by the administration, analysts told the BBC that large-scale investment would be unlikely without political stability and legal guarantees, warning that Trump’s $100 billion target remains far from realistic.
Venezuela currently produces about 1 million barrels of oil per day, accounting for less than 1 percent of global supply, according to figures from the BBC.
