MIAMI — As Russia’s war on Ukraine rages on, leaders in the Venezuelan community in Miami are watching in suspense — and low expectations — the ongoing talks between the Biden administration and the government of Nicolás Maduro to potentially ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil.
A U.S. delegation traveled to Caracas last week in what was the U.S. government’s first approach to the regime since it broke diplomatic ties in 2019. With the price of oil skyrocketing, the U.S. is seeking alternative sources of oil and renewed engagement with one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies in Latin America.
“As a Venezuelan, I wish they wouldn’t, because it’s going to benefit Maduro,” said Beatriz Olavarria, a local Venezuelan activist who organized a voter drive for Venezuelans living abroad in 2012. “It’s a risky investment for sure, in such a country. But that is what it is.”
