The Biden administration said Tuesday it would slightly loosen the crippling economic sanctions against Venezuela’s government to help restart stagnant talks between President Nicolás Maduro and opposition leaders aimed at easing the country’s political and humanitarian crisis.
Senior U.S. officials said resumption of the negotiations were expected to be announced by Venezuelan officials later Tuesday.
To entice Mr. Maduro back to the negotiating table, the Biden administration said it would permit discussions between his government and Chevron, the last major American oil company with significant operations in Venezuela. Under current sanctions, Chevron is prohibited from doing business with the Venezuelan government and is only allowed to carry out essential maintenance work in the country.
The U.S. Treasury will also remove sanctions on Carlos Eric Malpica, a former Venezuelan state oil official and nephew of the first lady, Cilia Flores, according to a Venezuelan opposition official familiar with the talks, who discussed the policy change on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Briefing reporters in Washington, a senior Biden administration official downplayed the benefits that Mr. Maduro could derive from the relaxation of sanctions. The official discussed the policy change Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized by the White House to speak on the record. The official said Chevron would be granted a license that would only allow the company to discuss future activities with Venezuelan officials and that such activities would not generate any revenue for Mr. Maduro’s government.
The Biden official also warned that even that tiny concession would be yanked back should Mr. Maduro’s government renege on good-faith efforts to negotiate with political opponents led by the former National Assembly leader, Juan Guaidó, whom the United States considers Venezuela’s legitimate interim president.
