Venezuela resumes petroleum product shipments from Russia instead of US
Photo: Due to Trump’s sanctions, Venezuela has resumed ligroin shipments from Russia (Getty Images)
Venezuela has changed its supplier of the petroleum product ligroin. Previously, it purchased it from the United States, but it has now resumed deliveries from Russia, Bloomberg reports.
The agency notes that it is precisely US trade policy that is pushing countries toward closer cooperation.
According to Kpler data, from March to October 2025, US ligroin shipments fell to zero, while Russian shipments increased to over 7 million barrels.
In August, deliveries amounted to 49,000 barrels per day, and in September, 69,000 barrels. It is noted that this is the first wave of ligroin shipments from Russia to Caracas in nearly six years.
Refusal of US ligroin
Ligroin is a petroleum product used to dilute extra-heavy crude oil for pipeline transport for export.
Venezuela began searching for a new supplier after US President Donald Trump revoked licenses for the country’s energy companies, including Chevron Corp., in early 2025.
This ended an 18-month period during which Venezuela purchased ligroin from the US. For American refineries, Venezuela had been a convenient market for surplus products.
For Russia, the deal with Venezuela is advantageous because Moscow gained the opportunity to sell surplus petroleum products after losing access to European Union markets due to sanctions.
The G7 countries aim to maximize pressure on Russian oil exports. The plan includes increasing production in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and reducing purchases of Russian oil in India and Türkiye.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted that Washington expects India to increase imports of US oil while reducing its purchases from Russia.
Additionally, Ukraine sharply increased long-range strikes on Russian refineries from August to October, depriving the aggressor country of about 1 million barrels of refining capacity per day.
