CARACAS, May 13, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Trade between the United States and Venezuela jumped 22.7 percent in the three months after the US ouster of Venezuela's socialist president Nicolas Maduro, a report showed Tuesday.

Bilateral trade rose to $3.29 billion in the first three months of the year, compared to $2.68 billion for the same period in 2025, the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced.

Venezuela's exports to the United States totaled $1.8 billion, with crude oil sales accounting for 96.5 percent, the figures issued by the US International Trade Commission showed.

Longtime arch-foes Washington and Caracas pressed the reset button on relations after Maduro's January 3 overthrow by US special forces in a raid on Caracas.

US President Donald Trump approved Maduro's former deputy Delcy Rodriguez to succeed him on condition that she grant the United States access to Venezuelan oil.

The two countries formally restored diplomatic relations in March.

Rodriguez moved immediately after Maduro's fall to end state control over the oil sector to attract foreign investors.

The United States, for its part, has eased a series of sanctions on the Venezuelan oil industry and granted licenses to foreign companies to operate in the country.

Several US oil companies have signed deals with the Venezuelan state, which has also liberalized its mining code.

Venezuela's second-biggest export to the United States is coffee, whereas its chief imports were grain, electrical equipment and animal feed.