Brent rose 24 cents, or 0.4%, to $55.17 a barrel, WTI were up 15 cents, or 0.3%, at $51.10 a barrel,

The US was prepared to sanction Rosneft if it continued to trade crude oil and fuel with PDVSA, but analysts said those sanctions have yet to be imposed because of the expected impact they may have on the global oil market.

Following the Jan. 28, 2019 ban on U.S. firms importing Venezuelan crude, the United States has not followed through on threats to extend the sanctions to any foreign company doing business with PDVSA, as it seeks to oust socialist Maduro.

The waiver allows Chevron, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes and Weatherford International to continue certain work with PDVSA, outside of US sanctions.

The collateral damage of the United States’ trade wars is being felt from the fjords of Iceland to the auto factories of Japan.

During a meeting in Moscow last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has already threatened to nationalize Chevron's assets, discussed the possibility of Rosneft taking over Chevron's Venezuelan operations, sources said.

Though trade between Venezuela and Cuba has not ceased amid sanctions, the flow of PDVSA’s oil has been insufficient to keep the Communist-ruled island well-supplied. Cubans have faced long lines at gas stations and for public transportation amid lack of vessels to receive imports.

"Роснефть" является инвестором в нефтегазовый сектор Венесуэлы и являлась таковым задолго до введения санкций США против Венесуэлы.

Rosneft, which produces around five percent of the world’s oil, is now taking care of shipping and marketing operations for the bulk of Venezuelan oil exports, ensuring that PDVSA can continue to supply buyers.

The US is set to impose sanctions on Rosneft if it continues to trade crude oil and fuel with Venezuela's PDVSA in exchange for debt repayments and stakes in joint venture projects in the South American nation,

The United States has targeted Cuba’s state-run company Cubametales as part of its Venezuela-related sanctions, according to a notice posted on the U.S. Treasury Department’s website on Wednesday.

Venezuela's exports of crude oil and refined products fell 17% in May from the previous month to 874,500 barrels per day

Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA exported 1.416 million barrels of combined crude and products in May to Cuba's state Cubametales, up from 355,000 barrels in April.

Crudes are being priced at Dated Brent discounts between $15/b and $17/b, FOB, according to a PDVSA report.

Despite significant U.S. oil sanctions on the OPEC member nation, Maduro has held on to power, backed by Cuba, Russia and China, and retains the support of the country’s military and other institutions.