Senior US officials traveled to Venezuela on Saturday to meet with the government of President Nicolás Maduro in an effort to determine whether Caracas is willing to reconsider its close ties with Russia following its military operation in Ukraine, according to a source familiar with the matter quoted by Reuters. This marks the highest-level American visit to Venezuela in years, following the severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries amid a campaign of US sanctions and diplomatic pressure aimed at ousting Maduro, a long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sources told the New York Times that a delegation comprising senior officials from the State Department and the White House traveled to the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. It is unclear how long the officials will stay in Venezuela or whom they will meet.
This visit comes at a time when Venezuela, along with Russia's Latin American allies, Nicaragua and Cuba, abstained from voting on United Nations resolutions condemning the Russian operation in Ukraine this week, a sign that these countries may distance themselves from Russia's ongoing military actions in Ukraine.
Maduro has also indicated he would be open to resuming Venezuelan oil trade with the United States, as President Joe Biden considers reducing US imports of Russian oil. Maduro stated on Thursday, according to the newspaper: "Here lies Venezuelan oil, available for anyone who wants to produce and buy it, whether they are investors from Asia, Europe, or the United States."
Venezuela and the United States severed all diplomatic relations in 2019 after the administration of former President Donald Trump recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president following Maduro's second term, which was deemed illegitimate by most of the international community. The Trump administration then imposed sanctions on individuals linked to Maduro’s government and on companies involved in exporting Venezuelan oil in an attempt to bring about a regime change in the country. In response to the sanctions, Venezuela turned to Russia, as well as Iran and China, for diplomatic and economic assistance, as mentioned in the article. Russian energy companies and banks have since played a key role in exporting Venezuelan oil.
