Major oil traders plan to resume selling Venezuelan oil to China and India

Tamara Vasylchuk
Tamara Vasylchuk Journalist
Major oil traders plan to resume selling Venezuelan oil to China and India
A crude oil tanker in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Photographer Maryorin Mendez AFP Getty Images
Vitol and Trafigura, after prior approval from the US, started negotiations with major Asian refiners on possible supplies of Venezuelan crude oil.

Global oil traders Vitol Group and Trafigura Group are in talks with leading oil refiners in China and India about the possible resumption of Venezuelan crude oil exports. It is reported by Bloomberg with reference to informed sources.

According to the agency's interlocutors, traders contacted key Asian buyers last weekend, just a few days after the US government gave them a preliminary green light to market Venezuelan oil. Negotiations are at an early stage and no formal commercial offers have been made.

At the same time, Vitol and Trafigura are assessing interest in Venezuelan crude from US refineries. Representatives of both companies refrained from commenting.

Asia has remained a key market for Merey's Venezuelan crude during the years of sanctions. China has traditionally been the main buyer, importing crude at significant discounts. Indian companies, in particular Reliance Industries, also used to accept Venezuelan cargoes, but in 2025 some of them suspended purchases after US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 25 per cent duty on countries buying energy from Venezuela.

According to market estimates, refiners in India and China are now exploring the possibility of returning to Venezuelan oil as an additional source of supply amid oversupply on the global market. The final decisions are expected to depend on further clarification and formal confirmation from Washington on the sanctions regime and control of financial flows from such transactions.

Source and photo by Bloomberg 
Venezuela, USA, Trump, India, China

Share tittle
Politics
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to the use of military bases for selected US strikes against Iran
Politics

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to the use of military bases for selected US strikes against Iran

The new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has backed the decision to allow the United States to use British military bases for targeted strikes against Iran, which London describes as defensive. This approach continues the policy of the previous government.

22.07.2026
Foreigners may only be allowed to work in Ukraine in sectors where there is a shortage of Ukrainians
Politics

Foreigners may only be allowed to work in Ukraine in sectors where there is a shortage of Ukrainians

Ukraine is considering the possibility of recruiting foreign workers due to an acute labour shortage, but they must not compete with Ukrainians for jobs. A proposal has been put forward in the Verkhovna Rada to allow the employment of foreign nationals only in those sectors where vacancies cannot be filled by domestic workers.

22.07.2026
Putin is only prepared to return to the negotiating table once the Donbas has been seized — Bloomberg
Politics

Putin is only prepared to return to the negotiating table once the Donbas has been seized — Bloomberg

The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, is prepared to continue peace talks only once the Russian Federation has seized the whole of Donbas. The Russian Ministry of Defence is assuring him that this can be achieved by 2026, but rank-and-file soldiers disagree.

22.07.2026
The Lithuanian Defence Minister has stated that Russia may regard the Baltic states and Poland as its next targets
Politics

The Lithuanian Defence Minister has stated that Russia may regard the Baltic states and Poland as its next targets

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas has stated that, as the war against Ukraine has not yielded the expected results, the Kremlin may seek a further escalation. According to him, Russia may regard the Baltic states and Poland as its next potential targets.

22.07.2026
Ihor Skybyuk is to become the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Politics

Ihor Skybyuk is to become the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Major General Ihor Skybyuk is to become the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The personnel decisions regarding the reshuffle of the military leadership are due to be formalised on 22 July.

22.07.2026
International Relations
Over 40 per cent of Poles consider military aid to Ukraine to be excessive
International Relations

Over 40 per cent of Poles consider military aid to Ukraine to be excessive

Almost 45 per cent of Poles believe that Poland provided too much military aid to Ukraine following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. At the same time, over a third of those surveyed described the level of support as adequate.

09.07.2026
A bas-relief has been stolen from Bohdan Lepky’s grave in Kraków
International Relations

A bas-relief has been stolen from Bohdan Lepky’s grave in Kraków

On the night of 5 July, at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków, unknown individuals stole a bronze bas-relief from the gravestone of the Ukrainian writer, poet and public figure Bohdan Lepkyi. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the incident as a deliberate provocation aimed at worsening Ukrainian-Polish relations

05.07.2026
Tusk called on Poland to refrain from making any new financial commitments to Ukraine
Politics

Tusk called on Poland to refrain from making any new financial commitments to Ukraine

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged the Polish delegation not to agree to any new financial commitments regarding Ukraine during the NATO summit. According to him, Warsaw is already spending significant resources on supporting Kyiv and defending the European Union’s eastern border

05.07.2026
Tusk: Ukraine is looking for ways to ease tensions with Poland
Politics

Tusk: Ukraine is looking for ways to ease tensions with Poland

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has stated that Ukraine is seeking ways to ease tensions in its relations with Warsaw. According to him, this is indicated by signals following talks between the two countries’ foreign ministers

04.07.2026
There is a proposal to include the Volyn tragedy in the report on Ukraine’s accession to the EU
International Relations

There is a proposal to include the Volyn tragedy in the report on Ukraine’s accession to the EU

У Європейському парламенті розглянуть поправки до звіту про прогрес України на шляху до членства в Європейському Союзі, які стосуються Волинської трагедії, діяльності Української повстанської армії (УПА) та історичного примирення між Україною і Польщею.

03.07.2026
Economy
All the electricity put up for sale was sold at the long-term auction
Economy

All the electricity put up for sale was sold at the long-term auction

Energoatom and Ukrhydroenergo have sold all the electricity volumes offered at the first special long-term auctions. In total, the state-owned companies sold 462,148 MWh, to be supplied between August and December 2026.

22.07.2026
The IMF has postponed the introduction of VAT for sole traders until 2028: what will change
Economy

The IMF has postponed the introduction of VAT for sole traders until 2028: what will change

The International Monetary Fund has agreed to postpone the introduction of value added tax (VAT) for sole traders operating under the simplified tax system. Instead of January 2027, the new rules are due to come into force on 1 January 2028.

22.07.2026
After the war, the military levy may be replaced by a reconstruction tax — the government is discussing the idea with the IMF
Economy

After the war, the military levy may be replaced by a reconstruction tax — the government is discussing the idea with the IMF

The Ukrainian government is considering replacing the current 5 per cent military levy with a special tax for post-war reconstruction. This option is included in the updated Memorandum of Cooperation between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund.

22.07.2026
Court overturns 4 million fine following an inspection of ‘Tekhno Yizhak’
Economy

Court overturns 4 million fine following an inspection of ‘Tekhno Yizhak’

During a retrial, the Kharkiv District Administrative Court quashed a tax penalty of 4,038,423 hryvnias imposed on a business owner following an inspection of a shop in the centre of Odesa. The decision was based on irregularities in the way the inspection was arranged, rather than on a refutation of the tax authorities’ claims regarding the accounting of goods.

22.07.2026
The Innovation Development Fund plans to purchase 860 Starlink Mini units for 17 million
Economy

The Innovation Development Fund plans to purchase 860 Starlink Mini units for 17 million

The Innovation Development Fund has announced a tender for the purchase of 860 Starlink Internet Satellite Mini satellite modems or their equivalents. The maximum funding amount for the purchase, including VAT, is 17.028 million hryvnias.

22.07.2026