*

Trump says will likely stop buying oil from Venezuela

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Trump envoy Grenell plans to meet with Venezuelan

opposition,

source says

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Trump called Maduro 'a dictator' during presidential

campaign

(Recasts with Trump comments)

By Andrea Shalal and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald

Trump said on Monday that his administration would likely stop

buying oil from Venezuela and was looking "very strongly" at the

South American country.

"It was a great country 20 years ago, and now it's a mess,"

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office hours after his

inauguration. "We don't have to buy their oil. We have plenty of

oil for ourselves."

Trump's envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, had

earlier said he spoke with multiple officials in Venezuela and

would begin meetings early Tuesday, days after the outgoing

Biden administration imposed new sanctions on the government of

President Nicolas Maduro.

"Diplomacy is back," Grenell said in a post on X disclosing

his initial calls. "Talking is a tactic."

Grenell, who served as acting intelligence chief at the end

of Trump's first term, also planned to meet with Venezuelan

opposition officials in Washington on Tuesday, a source familiar

with the matter said.

No comment was immediately available from the Venezuelan

communications ministry on Trump's comments or the outreach from

Grenell.

Venezuela's oil exports to the U.S. soared 64% to some

222,000 bpd last year, making it its second-largest export

market behind China, which took 351,000 bpd, down 18% compared

to the prior year.

Since 2019, Venezuela's oil industry has been under U.S.

sanctions designed to curb its oil income.

However, Chevron ( CVX ) has been allowed since 2022 to ship

Venezuelan oil to the U.S. to recoup unpaid dividends from joint

venture partners.

'A NEW START'

During his campaign, Trump called Maduro "a dictator"

after he pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign against him

during his first term from 2017 to 2021, including imposing

harsh sanctions on the South American country and its oil

industry.

Former President Joe Biden briefly rolled back some of the

Trump-era restrictions following electoral promises from Maduro

but then reinstated them, saying the Venezuelan leader had

reneged on pledges for a fair democratic vote.

Maduro and his government have always rejected sanctions by

the United States and others, saying they are illegitimate

measures that amount to an "economic war" designed to cripple

Venezuela.

Maduro and his allies have cheered what they say is the

country's resilience despite the measures, though they have

historically blamed some economic hardships and shortages on

sanctions.

Maduro has said Trump's re-election offers "a new start" for

bilateral relations.

One of Trump's central campaign promises was the mass

deportation of undocumented migrants, many of whom come from

Venezuela. Sending them back likely would require cooperation

from Venezuelan authorities.

In his announcement about Grenell's nomination, Trump said

he would work in hotspots around the world, including Venezuela

and North Korea.

Grenell served as Trump's ambassador to Germany, a special

presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations, and

as acting director of national intelligence during Trump's

2017-2021 term.

Grenell has had previous interactions with Maduro

associates.

Reuters reported that in 2020 Grenell secretly met with a

Maduro representative to try to work out the Venezuelan leader's

peaceful exit from power after his 2018 re-election was

considered a sham by most Western countries, but no agreement

was reached.