U.S. engages with Maduro as oil prices soar. Venezuela’s opposition sees it as ‘foolish’
A surprise effort by the Biden administration to forge a deal with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro — and restore the flow of Venezuelan oil into U.S. ports — might be welcomed by many U.S. motorists struggling with soaring gas prices amid the invasion of Ukraine.
But Venezuela’s opposition was both caught off guard and angered as details emerged of a meeting.
Top administration officials traveled to Caracas on Saturday to gauge what Maduro might be willing to offer in exchange for U.S. sanctions relief on its oil sector, as President Joe Biden debates whether to ban Russian oil imports over the invasion of Ukraine.
Biden and Maduro officials also discussed the status of American citizens held in Venezuelan custody, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday.
“The purpose of the trip that was taken by administration officials was to discuss a range of issues, including certainly energy security, but also to discuss the health and welfare of detained U.S. citizens,” Psaki said. “We’re never going to miss an opportunity to do exactly that.”
Aides of Juan Guaidó, leader of the Venezuelan opposition, were informed of the meeting at the last minute, according to one official with the opposition.
“It is foolish to think that Maduro will quit Russia when a great deal of the corruption funds have been deposited in Russia and when Russia, furthermore, is its greatest ally,” a high-ranking member of Guaidó’s team told the Miami Herald. “This is a mistake. To buy oil from Maduro is the same as buying oil from Putin.”
The United States severed diplomatic ties with the Maduro government in 2019 and recognized Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela.
The Guaidó official said Maduro demanded that all sanctions and investigations directed at him and his family be lifted and that the United States recognize him as Venezuela’s legitimate leader until 2024.
The Biden administration has grown increasingly concerned that rising tensions with Moscow could spill over into Latin America, where Russian President Vladimir Putin has cultivated strong relationships with several leaders — including Maduro and Miguel Díaz-Canel in Cuba — in recent years.
But more than trying to peel Caracas away from its strategic alliance with Moscow, Biden’s team appears focused on unlocking Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, which have been tied up by harsh U.S. sanctions on Maduro’s government over his crackdown on democratic institutions.
Psaki said that any sanctions relief and import of Venezuelan oil is “a leap several phases ahead in any process.” But she said the talks with Maduro would continue. “Those discussions are ongoing,” she said.
The Guaidó official pushed back on the notion that the United States could simply replace Russian oil with Venezuelan oil, noting that Caracas is only capable of producing 800,000 barrels per day — a fraction of Russia’s output — and has already committed much of that to China and Cuba.
“You cannot substitute one for the other,” the official said.
The U.S. delegation asked Maduro to commit to holding free and fair elections, return to negotiations with Guaidó in Mexico City, release U.S. citizens held in Venezuelan custody and publicly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. delegation included Juan Gonzalez, senior director at the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere; Roger Carstens, U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs; and James Story, U.S. ambassador for Venezuela affairs, among others.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 2:33 PM.
