The U.S. government plans to issue a general license allowing more trading companies beyond Vitol Group and Trafigura Group to purchase Venezuelan crude, easing existing sanctions, Bloomberg reported over the past hour and cited by X users @EMPosts, @GaripPatricia and @jendlouhyhc. Separately, President Donald Trump praised Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, stating she "did something incredible" and should be involved in Venezuela's future, according to X user @alandete. The pending authorization aims to broaden access to Venezuelan oil for additional traders and refiners, building on recent exports by Vitol Group's tanker "ICE Energy" from Venezuelan shores as part of a Trump administration deal, per a Bloomberg article dated January 20, 2026, referenced in prior reports. Trump's comments on Machado came in remarks shared via X during the 59-minute reporting window from 6:48 p.m. to 7:47 p.m. UTC. These developments follow a White House document listing President Trump's Venezuela achievements, including oil agreements and the capture of Nicolás Maduro for U.S. prosecution, shared on X by @alandete earlier today. Supplies for the reopening U.S. embassy in Caracas arrived via a Skylease Cargo flight landing at Maiquetía Airport at 8:57 a.m. UTC, as reported by @ConflictsW. X claims of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) reopening and the release of about 160 political prisoners emerged earlier, alongside updates that prisoner José Gregorio Hernández Polo is alive but in delicate health at a Caracas detention center, per @luisgonzaloprz.
