The first U.S. sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 million, has been completed, according to an administration official. 

The details of the sale haven't yet been disclosed, although the official said more sales are expected in the coming days and weeks. President Trump has said the U.S. will sell 30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, in partnership with U.S. companies. 

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement that President Trump had "brokered a historic energy deal with Venezuela" after Nicolás Maduro's arrest "that will benefit the American and Venezuelan people." She said Mr. Trump's team is facilitating discussions with oil companies "that are ready and willing to make unprecedented investments to restore Venezuela's oil infrastructure." 

The president met with a number of top U.S. oil executives at the White House last week to discuss their needs and concerns. At that gathering, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods told the president that his company had its assets seized under two previous waves of nationalization in Venezuela, and reentering a third time "would require some pretty significant changes from what we've historically seen here and what is currently the state." He called the country "uninvestable" until changes are made to the country's legal system and commercial structure.

The White House has presented a strategy to sell millions of barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil and control the proceeds, relying on investments from American oil companies to revive the country's oil infrastructure. Proceeds from the sale are to be split among Venezuelans, U.S. companies and the U.S. government, at the discretion of the federal government, the White House has said. The president has said all proceeds going to Venezuela would be used to purchase only American-made products. 

"They know the risks," Mr. Trump said of the oil companies. "There are risks. We're going to help them out. We're going to make it real easy. They're going to be there for a long time. We're going to be there, together, for a long, long time." 

The U.S. has placed heavy sanctions on Venezuelan oil amid the United States' effort to overhaul the country's government and natural resources. 

The majority of Americans, according to a CBS News/YouGov poll, say the U.S. should have not much or no control of Venezuela following the operation to extract and arrest Nicolás Maduro and his wife.