US lifts sanctions on Venezuela’s acting president
The United States lifted sanctions against Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, less than three months after US forces captured the country’s then-president, Nicolas Maduro, in a raid on the capital.
The Trump administration has maintained close ties with the interim government led by former vice president and Maduro ally Rodriguez; He sent U.S. energy and interior ministers on visits to Caracas with potential investors, brokered a deal for the U.S. to sell Venezuelan oil, touted changes in the oil and mining sectors aimed at attracting foreign capital, and granted exemptions from sanctions.
In March, Washington officially recognized Rodriguez as Venezuela’s leader, opening the door for his government to reopen embassies and consulates in the United States and regain control of Venezuelan-owned companies abroad.
Rodriguez welcomed the decision, saying of X that it was “a step towards normalizing and strengthening relations between our countries.”
“We believe that this progress will allow the lifting of sanctions currently in force in our country and the establishment and guarantee of an effective bilateral cooperation agenda for the benefit of our peoples.” he said.
The announcement to lift sanctions comes after Reuters reported early on Wednesday that the Rodriguez administration was preparing to take over the boards of state oil company PDVSA’s U.S. subsidiaries, including Citgo Petroleum, citing four sources familiar with the preparations.
Citgo, the crown jewel of Venezuela’s foreign assets, is run by oversight boards appointed by an opposition-led congress that has been no longer active since 2019.
It has been repeatedly said that Rodriguez is preparing to go to the United States to meet with Trump. Although he has met with high-level delegations from other countries, he has yet to meet a head of state in person in his current role.
Most senior officials of Maduro’s former government have been sanctioned, and several others, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and late Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, face drug trafficking and other charges, which they deny.
Although neither Rodriguez nor his brother Jorge, who heads the National Assembly legislature, have been charged with any alleged crimes in the United States, Reuters reports showed that the Trump administration was quietly building a case against him to strengthen its influence with Caracas.
