Trump nixes Venezuelan oil concessions granted by predecessor Joe Biden

Under his predecessor, Democratic Joe Biden, the United States’ President Donald Trump has ended the oil production concessions that Venezuela received.

Trump claimed in a social media post on Wednesday that Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro’s government had not improved in areas like immigration enforcement and election reform.

“We are hereby reversing the concessions that Crooked Joe Biden gave to Nicolas Maduro, of Venezuela, on the oil transaction agreement, dated November 26, 2022, and also having to do with Electoral conditions within Venezuela, which have not been met by the Maduro regime”, the post reads.

The Biden administration granted a license to expand production in Venezuela’s oil-rich nation in 2022.

The US was taking cautious steps at the time to ease tensions with the Maduro administration, in part in an effort to encourage greater energy collaboration.

The Barbados Agreement, which affirmed its commitment to a free and fair election conducted under the supervision of international election experts, was signed by Maduro’s administration officials in October 2023.

The US eased Venezuela’s economy’s oil sanctions further in response to that commitment.

But in the lead-up to Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, the Maduro government stepped up repressive actions targeting the country’s political opposition.

For instance, it forbade running against Maria Corina Yoris and Corina Yoris, a professor who attempted to take Machado’s place.

Despite pre-election polls, opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez appeared to be on par with Maduro to win the election. However, the nation’s electoral authority announced Maduro had won the election on July 28 without providing the customary breakdown of voting tallies.

That disobedience to tradition led to numerous accusations that Maduro had made false victories. Still, on January 10, Maduro was sworn into office for a third term.

On January 20, Trump was formally inaugurated for a second term in the White House. However, some political observers questioned whether Trump’s new administration would lead to a different strategy for Venezuela.

During his first term, from 2017 to 2021, Trump subjected Venezuela to devastating sanctions and a campaign of “maximum pressure”. He even placed a $15m reward for information that would lead to Maduro’s arrest.

Trump, however, ran for reelection with a platform that called for “mass deportation,” a demand that nations must be ready to accept backers.

Trump claimed earlier this month that Venezuela and the US had come to terms regarding increased cooperation in immigration enforcement, allowing the US to deport some Venezuelans back to their home nations.

Venezuela had not previously granted deportations to people who are returning to their country of origin, which required the country’s authorities to approve of.

People who have deserted the armed forces have voiced opposition to efforts to deport them back to Venezuela, where they could face persecution from the government, especially if they have fled.

Guantanamo Bay, a military base known for its role as a detention and torture facility used to house alleged combatants during the so-called war on terror, is another military base where the Trump administration has also made efforts to house Venezuelan immigrants.

While the government has described the Venezuelans held there as gang members and dangerous criminals, many have no serious criminal record, aside from immigration-related charges.

Trump’s current team of foreign policy members have a long history of making hawkish remarks about Venezuela. Some even express desire to replace Maduro’s administration with one that supports US interests more.

On Wednesday, for instance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave an interview to Fox News where he called Maduro a “horrible dictator”.

When asked whether he would demand that Maduro vacate the presidency, Rubio was ambiguous.

Why would we require that kind of person there? Rubio asked. He continues to pose the same threat as he did two years ago, three years ago, and four years ago, despite the fact that we won’t reveal what our work will be in public. That’s going to have to be dealt with”.

Source: Aljazeera