WASHINGTON — The Biden administration plans to continue talking with President Nicolás Maduro on “a range of issues,” including the release of more Americans being detained in Venezuela, the White House said on Wednesday.
Maduro released two Americans Tuesday evening after U.S. officials met with him last weekend. The State Department worked quietly for months to set the stage for the release of Gustavo Cardenas, an oil executive with Citgo, and Jorge Fernandez, a Cuban-American tourist, from Venezuelan prisons. Eight Americans remain in custody there.
The direct engagement between the two governments came three years after the United States severed diplomatic ties with Venezuela over Maduro’s crackdown on democratic institutions. The talks have faced criticism from Venezuelan opposition as well as U.S. lawmakers.
