Reports: Biden to ease sanctions on Venezuela after giving green light to Cash Bonanza for communist Cuba

Several unnamed senior officials told reporters on Tuesday that left-wing President Joe Biden plans to ease sanctions against Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, including sanctions that block talks between US oil companies and Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

PDVSA is Venezuela’s state oil company. Until the rise of socialism in the late 1990s, Venezuela was home to the world’s second largest known oil reserves (after the United States) and the richest country in Latin America. Under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan socialist regime replaced the skilled engineers and company managers at PDVSA with inexperienced alipors, causing a massive collapse in production. Current oil production in Venezuela is at 1940s levels.

The reported easing of sanctions comes after the White House acknowledged in March that Biden had sent representatives to Caracas to meet with Maduro, who reportedly discussed Venezuelan oil purchases. The Biden administration did not confirm the nature of these discussions, although many in the Venezuelan diaspora were angered by the prospect of buying oil from the Russian-prone Maduro regime to avoid buying oil from Russia.

Maduro confirmed the talks. He also enthusiastically supported the Russian leader’s invasion of Ukraine—an event reportedly sparking talks between Washington and Caracas—and offered “full support to President Vladimir Putin in defending peace in Russia, in defending peace in this region, in the heroic peace of his own country.” people. and their homeland.

It also follows the official announcement this week that the Biden administration will lift restrictions on money transfers to Cuba, a major source of income for the communist regime there, and restore “group travel between people.” – Existing “embargoes” that would allow it to be bad to hide group tourism with the Cuban people in the name of “education”.

Global news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday that the Biden administration will soon “allow US oil company Chevron Corp (CVX.N) to begin its own talks temporarily with the Maduro government and lift the US ban on such discussions.” The Biden administration is also reportedly preparing to lift sanctions against former PDVSA official Eric Malpica, one of Maduro’s nephews.

“This prevents (Chevron) from engaging in any deals with PDVSA or any other PDVSA-related activity,” Biden’s unnamed officials reported. “Actually, what you do is only allowed to be said.”

Maduro Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who has said in the past oddly enough that US humanitarian aid has caused cancer and that the US dollar is “non-existent”, confirmed reports on the sanctions deal on Tuesday.

“The Venezuelan Bolivarian government has confirmed and confirmed the published reports that the United States has allowed American and European oil companies to negotiate and continue their operations in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said. Wrote He said in English on Twitter that Venezuelans are “proud” of the Maduro regime.

The world knows that Venezuela, through its own efforts, has taken the first steps towards economic recovery, condemned and overcame illegitimate sanctions and an inhumane blockade. Our people are proud of their recent work and achievements.

– Delcy Rodriguez (@delcyrodriguezv) 17 May 2022

Unknown US officials said Venezuelan opposition politicians wanted a gift from Maduro.

“At the request of the Unity platform of the Venezuelan interim government and opposition parties negotiating with the Venezuelan regime, the United States is taking a series of actions to support their decision to return to the negotiating table in Mexico City,” he said. unnamed US official. . This was reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP), which was quoted in a report Tuesday.

The unity platform is a coalition of unpopular Venezuelan politicians, many of whom are members of an open socialist political party recognized as part of the “opposition” against Maduro. These politicians have called for “negotiations” with the Maduro regime on humanitarian grounds. Venezuela’s legitimate President, Juan Guaidó, supported further negotiations in the name of helping the Venezuelan people.

“Unity every day [work in] Sharing an official statement from the presidential office confirming talks with the Maduro regime, Guaidó said on Monday. “Unity is the duty of us who oppose the dictatorship. With [govern] most of them you need to fix this, be inclusive and have clear rules of the game – that’s the direction the Unity platform is moving.

Guaidó said the talks would increase the likelihood of a free and fair presidential election, allegedly by Maduro.

“We Venezuelans owe the presidential election; Reaching the date of these elections means reaching the date when the dictatorship ended and the return to democracy,” Guaidó said.

Venezuelans need a presidential election; it is reaching the election date, reaching a date for the end of the dictatorship and the return of democracy so that we can reunite families and see Venezuela flourish.

– Juan Guaido (@jguaido) 16 May 2022

Neither Guaidó nor Maduro were elected by a legitimate national vote. Maduro has held nearly a dozen rigged regional and presidential elections since Chavez took power after his death in 2013, the last “election” for the presidency in 2018 and “won” with very low turnout in the periphery. intimidation, mass arrests and mass messages. violations. This election spurred the National Assembly to use its constitutional powers to take the oath for president in Guaidó, legally making him the true CEO of the country. As Guaidó failed to earn the respect of the military and snatched any power from Maduro, he could in no practical sense become president of the country.

Guaidó’s failure to end socialism in the country, and his apparent lack of intention to do so, proved immensely unpopular with him and the country’s “opposition” to the establishment. According to a survey published this month by Meganálisis, nearly 80 percent of Venezuelans agree that most “opposition” politicians are government-oriented and work for it. charisma“.

Meganálisis CEO Ruben Chirino Leañez told Breitbart News in early May that the opposition was seen as “absolutely nonexistent” to end socialism.

“It’s also part of the element of distrust – they’re not, after all, a political proposition that’s totally against socialism. Rather, they are additions, a variant, or often seen as one and the same,” he explains.

Venezuelans Persecuted Politically in Exile (Veppex), an organization that opposes the Maduro regime abroad, described the opposition’s plan to return to negotiations as “a mockery” of the suffering of the Venezuelan people, in speeches on Tuesday.

“This action is a mockery of the open recognition of Nicolás Maduro as president and all Venezuelans and countries that believe in an end to the extortion in the international community. [of the presidential office]Transitional government and free elections,” said José Antonio Colina, President of Veppex, according to the Venezuela edition of Runrunes.

The Biden administration, through the State Department, has forced the Guaidó group back to the negotiating table with Maduro, despite the utter failure of several rounds of negotiations that have resulted in no success for Venezuelan citizens over the past decade.