The White House assured Thursday that the recent release of two Americans detained in Venezuela did not occur in exchange for the relief of sanctions or a negotiation for the purchase of energy resources from the government of Nicolás Maduro.
“The release of the detainees was not in exchange for sanctions relief or the purchase of oil,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
Last Tuesday, an executive from the Citgo oil company – out of a total of six detainees from that company – and a Cuban-American tourist were released.
The Biden Administration has been criticized for engaging in talks with the Maduro government amid his government’s support for President Vladimir Putin in his invasion of Ukraine.
The spokeswoman said that efforts to free Americans detained there – described as a high priority for Washington – and negotiations for “energy security” ran through different channels.
However, at the beginning of the press conference, Psaki made it clear that the Administration’s position regarding Maduro has not changed.
“I think our commitment to Maduro, who we don’t recognize as the leader of Venezuela, but who is detaining American citizens, was to bring them home,” he said.
He also recommended not to focus too much “on talks about the future of oil imports of the United States from Venezuela,” despite the fact that the government itself acknowledged that “energy security” is one of the issues that was on the table in Caracas.
The US welcomed the Maduro’s recent statements to continue with the peace talks between the ruling party and the opposition and that were interrupted in October 2021 as a result of the extradition of Colombian businessman Alex Saab, accused of money laundering and being a close collaborator of the Venezuelan president.
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