“I am David and I go with God in permanent battle.” Just like Javier Milei, al that he despises so much, Nicolas Maduro This Friday he had his biblical moment. The gloss included the contemporary incarnation of Goliath, the United States, and the promise of defeating it with more than just a slingshot. The quote was heard as a response to the Joe Biden Government’s decision to raise to 25 million dollars a reward for the capture of the man who was sworn in for the third time this Friday as president. For the Minister of the Interior and Justice, Diosdado Cabello, the same sum is offered. The head of the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino Lópezhas the price of 15 million dollars.
Biden leaves the White House in 10 days and the announcement has, beyond its effectiveness, a message that seems unequivocal: Relations with Venezuela will be more conflictive than in the last four years under a bipartisan agreement. Biden was the president of the relaxation of economic sanctions against Caracas under the commitment of Maduro to carry out transparent elections with guarantees for all his competitors. Those clauses, agreed upon with the opposition, were half fulfilled. The official validation of Maduro’s victory at the polls without the electoral records being exhibited marked a turning point for Washington. First, he sanctioned electoral and judicial officials. He then expanded the list to uniformed officers identified as participating in the repression of the protest. Edmundo González Urrutia was later recognized as president-elect and Congress promoted a law that restricts the possibilities of carrying out commercial transactions with Venezuela.
Among those sanctioned by the Biden administration is the president of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA)Héctor Andrés Obregón Pérez. But for the moment, the United States The measure that could truly affect the growth of the Venezuelan economy has not been activated: a revocation of the special license granted to the energy company Chevron to extract oil. Nor are any actions proposed that could impact other foreign companies such as Repsol.
Donald Trump expressed his solidarity with María Corina Machado after the confusing incident on Thursday, described as an attempted kidnapping by the opposition leader and a distraction maneuver by the Government. “The large Venezuelan-American community in the United States overwhelmingly supports a free Venezuela, and I strongly support them“said the next president of the United States.
González Urrutia was received in Washington by Michael Waltz, Trump’s future National Security Advisor. lThe appointment of a “hawk” like Marco Rubio as Secretary of State suggests an imminent dose of radicalism from the United States on the Venezuelan issue. The scope of Trump’s “firmness” will measure hhow far the White House can go and if these pacts impact the crude oil business.
The EU and Latin America
The EU has also questioned Maduro’s inauguration. Kaja KallaHigh Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, He maintained that “he lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president.” The United Kingdom did the same. So far, the EU has not taken Washington’s step of recognizing González Urrutia as president-elect. The Venezuelan opposition hopes for more than just a Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Conscience for the former diplomat.
Maduro was sworn in as president until 2031 with the modest presence of two foreseeable Latin American presidents: Miguel Díaz-Canel, from Cuba, and Daniel Ortegafrom Nicaragua. Relations with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Gustavo Petro, from Brazil and Colombia, have deteriorated noticeably. Brazilian diplomacy vetoed Venezuela’s entry into the BRICS, a decision that unnerved the Miraflores Palace. Maduro, in his speech this Friday, defended his membership in that bloc led by China and Russia. Neither Brazil nor Colombia want a break with Caracas, and that is why their ambassadors were present at the controversial inauguration. Mexico moved in the same direction.
According to Maduro, the inauguration ceremony was possible because Venezuela is at peace. The tranquility mentioned by the authorities finds a country that has had to close its borders with Colombia. The Foreign Minister of that country, Luis Gilberto Murillo responded: “the fact that diplomatic relations are maintained does not mean that the results are endorsed. Colombia maintains responsible and strategic diplomacy in order to build relationships over time.”
The Chilean Gabriel Boric was more emphatic. He spoke of “dictatorship” and Cabello called him “silly”. The other Latin American countries, led by Argentina, have aligned themselves with Washington. The same game of positions from 2019 is reissued, when a so-called Lima Group was formed to support the “president in charge”, Juan Guaidó in his attempts to enter the Miraflores Palace.
