US urgently reaches out to Venezuela amid possible energy crisis

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The White House said Monday that a US delegation met with Venezuelan government officials in Caracas over the weekend for talks that included a discussion of energy supplies, as Washington seeks ways to lessen its reliance on Russian oil.

Venezuela's opposition also stated that it met with a high-level US delegation, whose visit to Caracas coincided with Washington's efforts to isolate Russia over its special military operation in Ukraine.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose regime the US severed ties with in 2019, was one of the international figures to assure Russian President Vladimir Putin of his "strong support" in the aftermath of the operation.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that “the purpose of the trip to Venezuela that was taken by administration officials was to discuss a range of issues including certain energy, energy security."

Maduro confirmed the meeting in a televised appearance late Monday, calling it "respectful, cordial, and diplomatic," but did not provide further details on the discussions.

"We did it in the presidential office," he said. "We had almost two hours talking."

"It seemed very important to me to be able, face to face, to discuss topics of maximum interest to Venezuela," he added.

The alternative to Russian oil

The US has imposed a slew of sanctions on Caracas in an attempt to oust Maduro, with one 2019 measure prohibiting Venezuela from trading its crude oil – which accounts for 96 percent of the country's revenue – on the US market.

According to The New York Times, the visit by senior State Department and White House officials was related to Washington's alleged interest in replacing a portion of the oil it currently buys from Russia with oil it no longer buys from Venezuela.

The White House has indicated that it is looking into ways to reduce Russian oil imports without harming US consumers and while maintaining global supply – though Psaki said Monday that no decision on a possible ban on Russian oil had been made.

US policy shifts with shifting tides

Since cutting diplomatic ties with Caracas, Washington has refused to deal with the Maduro government, instead of recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president.

According to Guaido's office, the opposition-held a "sustained meeting" with the US delegation.

Maduro also announced the resumption of talks with the opposition, which had been stalled for five months.

Last month, Washington signaled that it was willing to reconsider its sanctions policy toward Venezuela if talks between Maduro's government and the opposition progressed.

The announcement came in response to Maduro's request for a peace conference following Russia's military operation in Ukraine in order to avoid a "third world war."

"We are ringing the warning bell... to the whole world," said Maduro, calling for "humanitarian corridors" in Ukraine to be respected.

"We are gravely concerned about the possibility of a war in Europe and an extension... of this armed confrontation, it seems to fester, a public media campaign of hatred and a set of economic measures aimed at aggravating the conditions and extending the scenario of war," added Maduro.

In a tweet, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele questioned US’ motives, saying that "the US government decides who the bad guy is and who the good guy is and also when the bad guy becomes good and the good guy becomes bad." 

On February 24, Russia launched a special operation to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine in response to DPR and LPR calls for assistance in countering Ukrainian troop aggression. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the special operation is only targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure and poses no threat to civilians. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of occupying Ukraine.