NEW YORK, April 29. /TASS/. Venezuela may also leave OPEC following the United Arab Emirates under US President Donald Trump’s pressure, the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail said.

The UAE’s exit from OPEC was a gift to Trump, who has long criticized the group’s influence on global oil prices, and "desperately wants gasoline and diesel prices to fall ahead of November’s congressional midterm elections," according to the publication. The price has increased by $1 for a gallon of gasoline, and by $2 for diesel in the US since the beginning of the conflict with Iran, the newspaper noted.

"And guessing who is next out the door is not hard. OPEC member Venezuela, home of the world’s largest oil reserves, with its leader in a US prison, in effect has become a client state of the United States. You can bet if Mr. Trump wants Venezuela to bolt from OPEC, as the UAE did, it will happen," The Globe and Mail wrote.

Earlier, the Emirati state news agency WAM reported that the UAE had decided to withdraw from OPEC and OPEC+ effective May 1, 2026. The country assured though that it shares the desire to stabilize the global fuel market. Its oil production policy will take into account global supply and demand, according to the WAM publication.

Canada, which is a major oil producer, has had observer status in OPEC for many years.