US has lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s acting president, paving the way for control over assets
U.S. on Wednesday lifted sanctions against Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez, as reported by the Treasury Department website, just under three months following the U.S. forces’ seizure of the country’s former President Nicolas Maduro during a raid in the capital.
The Trump administration has actively interacted with the interim government headed by former Vice President and Maduro ally Rodriguez. This included visits to Caracas by U.S. energy and interior secretaries accompanied by potential investors, an agreement for the U.S. to sell Venezuelan oil, commendations for reforms in the oil and mining sectors aimed at attracting foreign capital, and the issuance of sanctions waivers.
In March, Washington officially acknowledged Rodriguez as the leader of Venezuela, paving the way for her administration to reopen embassies and consulates in the United States and reclaim control of Venezuelan-owned companies overseas.
Rodriguez praised the decision, stating in a post on X that it was “a step in the direction of normalizing and strengthening relations between our countries.”
“We are confident that this advancement will facilitate the removal of the sanctions imposed on our nation, paving the way for the establishment and assurance of a productive bilateral cooperation agenda that will benefit our citizens,” she stated.
The announcement regarding the removal of sanctions followed a report from Reuters on Wednesday, indicating that Rodriguez’s administration is preparing to assume control of the boards of state oil firm PDVSA’s U.S. subsidiaries, including Citgo Petroleum, according to four sources familiar with the preparations.
Citgo, regarded as the crown jewel of Venezuela’s foreign assets, has been managed since 2019 by overseeing boards appointed by an opposition-led congress that is currently inactive.
Rumors persist that Rodriguez was preparing to travel to the U.S. for a meeting with Trump. While she has engaged with high-level delegations from various nations, she has not yet had the opportunity to meet in person with a head of state in her current position.
Numerous high-ranking officials from Maduro’s previous administration are under sanctions, and several, such as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and the recent Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, are facing allegations of drug trafficking and other offenses, which they refute.
While neither Rodriguez nor her brother Jorge, who leads the National Assembly legislature, has faced any indictments for alleged crimes in the U.S., reporting from Reuters indicates that the Trump administration has been subtly constructing a legal case against her to enhance its leverage with Caracas, potentially in response to the ongoing sanctions and allegations against other officials in Maduro’s administration.
