For Maduro, the US license for Chevron is positive, but not enough

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro celebrated this Wednesday (30) a step in the “right direction” as the US energy company Chevron asked for US approval, but suspension, to operate in the South American country. Total financial sanctions imposed by Washington.

He said the US government’s licenses to Chevron and other companies “undoubtedly go in the right direction, although they are not sufficient to meet Venezuela’s demands, which include a complete end to all unilateral coercive actions on the oil industry.” Maduro during a press conference.

Chevron was authorized on Saturday to resume operations in joint ventures it owns with Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), although it must ensure the state-owned company does not receive direct income from the sale, according to the Treasury Department. American company.

The announcement comes after Maduro’s government and the opposition signed an agreement to allocate 3 billion Venezuelan dollars frozen abroad through sanctions to social projects.

“The idea of ​​taking Venezuela out of the world’s economic circuit is bad, an extremist idea of ​​Donald Trump, and they are paying for it because Venezuela is part of the world energy equation,” Maduro said.

“No matter who hurts, we have to be there, we’re a big oil power and we’re going to be a gas power,” the Venezuelan president added.

Joe Biden’s government has been forging ties with the socialist president amid an energy crisis fueled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while formally maintaining the Trump administration’s policy of not endorsing Maduro for questioning his 2018 re-election bid.

In March, Biden sent a delegation to Caracas.

Maduro said he expected the release of funds under the deal signed with the opposition to be immediate.