WASHINGTON, August 19. /TASS/. US oil companies will sign an agreement in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday with Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), the state-owned oil and gas company of the Bolivarian Republic, on extraction of hydrocarbons in Venezuela, Politico reported, citing sources.

The matter concerns small US firms, the report said. Venezuelan Minister of Hydrocarbons Paula Henao plans to attend the signing ceremony. Meanwhile, the White House, which is helping to broker oil production deals in the South American country, will not participate in the event, according to the publication.

In early August, US President Donald Trump described Venezuelan oil as a trophy won by the United States. He described the military operation in Caracas, during which US forces captured and removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, as a 48-minute war, adding that Washington acted the old-fashioned way, gaining many times more from Venezuelan oil than it had spent to carry out the operation.