Europe's Venezuelan oil imports could give leverage against US aggression

Global Witness reports that European countries, specifically the Netherlands and the UK, imported at least $565 million worth of diesel in 2025 from Valero's St. Charles refinery in Louisiana, which processes significant volumes of Venezuelan oil. The document asserts that this trade supports US 'imperialist' actions in Venezuela and urges the EU and UK to implement a ban on US-controlled Venezuelan oil and refined products until democratic reforms and transparency are established in Venezuela.

• In 2025, European countries imported diesel valued at a minimum of $565 million from Valero's St. Charles refinery in Louisiana. The Netherlands and the UK were the primary recipients, importing at least $256 million and $219 million respectively.
• The St. Charles refinery is a major destination for Venezuelan oil; in 2025, over 40% of the oil imported by ship to the facility came from Venezuela. Global Witness estimates that even under the most conservative capacity assumptions, at least 12% of the refinery's consumed oil would have come from Venezuela.
• The document argues that Europe's reliance on US-supplied fossil fuels is dangerous and that the EU and UK should ban imports of US-controlled Venezuelan oil and refined products from companies like Valero until Venezuela implements oil sector reforms, environmental protections, and sets a date for new elections.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). Europe's Venezuelan oil imports could give leverage against US aggression. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/europes-venezuelan-oil-imports-could-give-leverage-against-us-aggression/

Chicago

Global Witness. Europe's Venezuelan oil imports could give leverage against US aggression. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/europes-venezuelan-oil-imports-could-give-leverage-against-us-aggression/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Witness |title=Europe's Venezuelan oil imports could give leverage against US aggression |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/europes-venezuelan-oil-imports-could-give-leverage-against-us-aggression/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalwitnessndeuropes, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Europe's Venezuelan oil imports could give leverage against US aggression}}, publisher = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/europes-venezuelan-oil-imports-could-give-leverage-against-us-aggression/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }