Rafael Ramírez, former president of PDVSA and oil minister under Hugo Chávez, stated that the recent agreement between the US and Venezuela cedes sovereignty over more than 23% of the country's oil reserves. ^[1] Donald Trump, the US President, described a proposed oil agreement as the largest in history, while Rafael Ramírez, a Venezuelan exile, condemned it as a terrible deal that harms Venezuelan interests. ^[2] Rafael Ramírez stated that the agreement involves the US taking control of 65 billion barrels of oil, which he claims represents 21% of Venezuela's proven reserves. ^[3] According to the White House, the deal is projected to generate US$200,000 million in fiscal revenue for Venezuela over 25 years. ^[4] Ramírez described the deal as a return to the era of Juan Vicente Gómez, where dictatorships handed the country over to companies like Standard Oil and Shell. ^[5] The agreement grants management rights of the oil reserves to North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a private company controlled by Alejandro Betancourt. ^[6] Ramírez claimed that the Pentagon and US military forces are participating in the agreement, which he described as a despojo (stripping) of national resources. ^[7] The interim Venezuelan government, led by Delcy Rodríguez, accepted the terms of the agreement, which Ramírez criticized as a capitulation on national sovereignty. ^[8]