Russia, Ukraine, the United States, Venezuela, and Oil

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On March 5, 2022, U.S. officials visited Caracas to hold talks with the heretofore shunned regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. “The purpose of the trip” was “to discuss a range of issues, including certainly energy, [and] energy security,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. The United States broke off relations with Venezuela in 2019, and Maduro has been among the few national leaders around the world to offer Russian President Vladimir Putin “strong support” for his invasion of Ukraine, not something likely to endear him to U.S. President Joe Biden. Yet now the Maduro government is enjoying an unexpected measure of attention and deference from the United States, given the growing strategic value of Venezuelan oil reserves as sanctions against Russia expand to include its energy sector. Pundits examined the realpolitik implications.

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