US delegation spoke about energy with the Maduro government

The White House said that a US delegation held talks over the weekend in Venezuela with the illegitimate regime of Nicholas Maduroand that energy supply was on the table as Washington looks for ways to reduce its imports of Russian oil.

“The purpose of the trip that the administration officials took was to discuss a variety of topics that certainly include energy, energy security,” said the spokeswoman for the Joe Biden administration, Jen Psaki.

He added that the delegation also discussed the situation of US citizens and residents detained by the Maduro government, including six Citgo executives arrested in Venezuela in 2017. But he stressed that the talks on energy and the fate of the detainees are “separate conversations”.

“There was a discussion that members of the administration had over the course of the last few days,” the spokeswoman said. “And part of our focus is also on the health and well-being of American citizens in detention.”

The United States and Venezuela severed diplomatic relations in early 2019 after Maduro was sworn in for a second term in widely disputed elections. Washington then recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó, president of the Legislature, as the only legitimate authority, and imposed a battery of sanctions on Caracas in order to force Maduro out.

The measures include an embargo in force since April 2019 that prevents Venezuela from trading its crude – which represented 96% of the country’s income – in the US market.

Since then, Maduro has received strong support from Russia to be able to continue exporting oil despite US sanctions.

According to the Times, the current visit to Caracas by high-ranking officials from the State Department and the White House responds to Washington’s supposed interest in being able to replace part of the oil it currently buys from Russia with the oil it stopped buying from Venezuela.