Text/Dongfeng
Take a good look, this is what the United States does: there is only eternal interest.
Before announcing a ban on russian energy imports, the United States had tried to fill the gap by meeting with representatives of the Venezuelan government, which had not even received formal recognition from the United States.
Senior State Department and White House officials met with government officials from President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas over the weekend to discuss the resumption of oil imports, the highest level of communication between Venezuela and the United States since they severed diplomatic ties in 2019. Previously, the administration of former US President Donald Trump recognized opposition figure Juan Guaido as the country's "interim president".
On the face of it, the restoration of relations between the two countries is a positive event for both sides. Because until recently, the sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the United States and its allies have paralyzed the country's economy and triggered runaway inflation. Venezuela has achieved considerable economic growth only in the past year and has kept inflation in the single digits, in fact, it is expected to win the competition in the region in the near future. If Venezuela resumes economic activity with the United States, that could further help the Venezuelan economy — and hopefully, unfair and illegal sanctions will be lifted.
But at the same time, the reason for this reconciliation now is clearly related to the attempt by the United States to insulate itself from oil shortages after it decided to block Russia's oil supply. The United States has also sought to isolate Moscow diplomatically, seeing Venezuela as one of Russia's main partners in the Western Hemisphere. That's an understandable assessment, as Russia has been the lifeblood of Venezuela as it grapples with devastating U.S. sanctions.
Because of this, Venezuelan officials are better off not treating the proposal as anything other than "strictly commercial." In trying to isolate Russia, Washington turned to countries around the world trying to "defend the West," while also weakening Russia's influence, including now in Latin America. It hopes to entice Venezuela (and other Latin American countries) to stay away from Moscow and get back on track by offering incentives.
That's not to say caracas shouldn't try to restore diplomatic relations with Washington, increase communication, and build productive economic ties. But it would be unwise to join Washington's camp isolating Russia now, because it is clear that the United States will continue to encircle Venezuela and its economy if the geopolitical environment is slightly different.
In short, Washington is not a reliable partner for Caracas, nor for any other country in the region that may soon see the Biden administration extend an olive branch. Sanctions imposed by Washington have starved the Venezuelan people and placed a maritime blockade on the country's coast. In October 2021, the United States arrested Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and Venezuelan envoy, on suspicion of money laundering. But there is no doubt that the real reason behind the persecution of a legally protected diplomat is Saab's attempts to help Venezuela maintain normal trade relations and bypass U.S. sanctions.
For example, if the United States tries to ease relations with Cuba in order to isolate Russia, we may only imagine this hypocrisy. Washington has been imposing a generation-long trade embargo on the Caribbean nation, trying to invade Cuba and seizing a disputed piece of land on the Cuban island to build a torture camp in Guantanamo Bay. At the same time (ironically) the Cuban Government is accused of human rights violations.
The U.S. approach to Venezuela exposes the U.S. double standard, which also exposes the obvious hypocrisy and cynicism at the heart of U.S. diplomacy: whatever is ist, it's all about profit.
Washington is so desperate to contain Russia and support Biden's campaign that the White House is now seeking help from a government they don't even consider legitimate. The current government was led by Maduro, and the United States carried out an assassination plot against him.