“I declare a state of emergency in the oil industry by constitutional and presidential decree in order to take urgent and necessary measures to ensure the country's energy security and protect industry from imperialist aggression,” RIA Novosti quoted Maduro as saying at a meeting with oil industry workers.
He also announced the creation of a special presidential commission “to protect, restructure and reorganize the national oil industry.”
Earlier, the United States announced the imposition of sanctions against the vice president of Rosneft, Didier Kasimiro.
The Venezuelan sanctions list included the Rosneft Trading SA structural unit, whose chairman of the board is Kashimiro.
Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Quevedo, in turn, noted that US actions in the oil market are aimed at ridding competitors through sanctions.