Relations between Caracas and Washington are warming. Venezuela is even “completely ready” to normalize its ties with the United States, which were severed in 2019, President Nicolas Maduro said on Sunday.
“Venezuela is ready, absolutely ready, to move ahead with a process of normalizing diplomatic, consular and political relations with this United States administration and with those that may come next,” the head of state said in an interview with French journalist Ignacio Ramonet and the Telesur channel, broadcast by Venezuelan public television.
The oil crisis facilitates the warming of relations
Nicolas Maduro’s government broke with the United States in 2019, the year Donald Trump’s government recognized opponent Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. In a bid to oust Nicolas Maduro from power, Washington had imposed a series of sanctions on Caracas, including an embargo on Venezuelan oil.
Even if Joe Biden continues not to officially recognize Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela’s president and judges his 2018 election a fraud, the oil crisis caused by the war in Ukraine has warmed relations. In 2022, for example, the White House sent envoys to Caracas for negotiations and eased sanctions on Venezuela after a breakthrough in negotiations between power and opposition, notably allowing oil giant Chevron to operate in the Latin American country for the next six months.
“Things are going well” with the European Union
“We are ready for high-level dialogues, for respectful relations, and I hope that a ray of light will reach this United States of North America, so that they turn the page, put aside these extremist policies and become more pragmatic policies towards Venezuela,” Nicolas said maduro The Venezuelan President also stated that “things are progressing well” with the European Union and that there is “constant dialogue” with the 27’s head of diplomacy, Josep Borrell.