US President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that Venezuela could become the 51st US state, citing expanding oil cooperation between the two countries and saying Washington stood to benefit from the South American nation's vast petroleum reserves.

Speaking at a midterm election rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, Trump praised relations with Venezuela and announced the arrival of the first 1 million barrels of Venezuelan oil provided free of charge under an agreement between the two countries.

“This historic win gives us control over a massive part of the world's oil supply,” Trump told supporters, adding that the oil would be refined in Texas, including in Corpus Christi.

Trump said investment was creating jobs in Venezuela on a scale he claimed would have been unimaginable a year earlier.

He suggested the country could eventually become a US state, repeating the proposal and saying Venezuela could elect a governor instead of a president.

“Let's make it the 51st state. And instead of a president, we'll have an election for a governor,” Trump said. “You know, they have a lot of oil.”

The remarks linked Trump's vision of closer ties with Venezuela to access to its substantial oil resources, underscoring the importance of energy in his administration's approach to the country.

Venezuela holds the world's largest proven crude oil reserves, making its petroleum sector a major strategic interest for international energy markets. Much of its crude is heavy oil, which requires specialized refining capacity, including facilities along the US Gulf Coast.

Trump's comments did not establish any formal process for making Venezuela a US state. Such a move would represent a fundamental change in the country's political status and would require major legal and constitutional steps in the United States, as well as a profound transformation of Venezuela's own political arrangements.

His proposal nevertheless highlighted the extraordinary nature of his remarks, as Washington's expanding involvement in Venezuela's oil industry raises questions about sovereignty, control over natural resources and the future of bilateral relations. (ILKHA)