US oil companies say they need guarantees to invest in Venezuela, FT reports

Jan 7 (Reuters) - U.S. oil companies want "serious guarantees" from Washington before they ​make large investments in Venezuela, ‌as President Donald Trump urges them to back ‌his bid to reshape energy markets, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

U.S. officials ⁠held talks with ‌top energy executives in Miami on Wednesday, the FT reported, ‍citing people familiar with the matter.

Trump is scheduled to meet with the heads of ​major oil companies at the White ‌House on Friday to discuss ways of raising Venezuela's oil production.

The executives meeting are expected to press the president on providing strong legal and financial ⁠guarantees before they agree ​to commit capital to ​Venezuela, the FT report said.

Separately, Reuters reported exclusively earlier Wednesday that ‍Chevron is ⁠in talks with the U.S. government to expand a key license to ⁠operate in Venezuela.

(Reporting by Rhea Rose Abraham ‌in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong ‌and Stephen Coates)