WP: US may ease sanctions against Venezuela further

Panorama of Caracas, Venezuela. File photoWASHINGTON, May 18.The US administration may go for further easing of sanctions against Venezuela if the government of Nicolás Maduro returns to negotiations with the opposition and cooperates with Washington, the Washington Post reports, citing a source. Earlier, a senior US administration official told reporters that the US Treasury Department had issued a general a license that allows the oil company Chevron to start negotiations with the government of President Nicolas Maduro on future activities in the country. It was emphasized that this easing provides an opportunity to engage in dialogue on future activities and does not yet imply entering into joint projects with the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA. «The license is the first step in a series of possible measures to ease oil sanctions, depending on cooperation from the Maduro government» If the government returns to negotiations with the opposition «aimed at guaranteeing free and fair elections in 2024,» the US may allow Chevron to supply equipment to Venezuela, the newspaper writes. «If negotiations are successful, Chevron will allow produce and sell Venezuelan oil,» the publication says. The Venezuelan authorities had previously resumed negotiations with the opposition. On May 18, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodriguez, announced the first meeting since October 2021 with the representative of the opponents, Gerardo Blyde. Negotiations between the Venezuelan authorities and the right-wing opposition in Mexico City, aimed at bringing the country out of the crisis and resolving social tensions, were interrupted in October 2021 after several rounds due to the extradition to the United States of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, who was formally a member of the negotiating delegation from the Maduro government. Russia