The government of Nicolás Maduro has asked Russia in recent days to unfreeze oil revenues deposited in various Russian banks that the United States included in its black list. Especially the Promsvyazbank, where Petróleos de Venezuela and the Ministry of Defense have bank accounts, they told Archyde.com two sources.
United States sanctioned Evrofinance Mosnarbank in 2019, another bank widely used by Venezuela to trade with Russia. This forced the Venezuelan oil company to transfer its collection accounts to other financial entities.
Vladimir Putin, vindictive?
“One does not know if Russia’s lack of ability to guarantee these funds is due to the level and scope of the sanctions that are once morest Russia or if it is a retaliatory measure because of the meeting that took place between Venezuela and the United States,” he told The National the internationalist Giovanna De Michele.
presume that Russia might have knowledge of the agenda that was discussed in Miraflores over the weekend, between the Venezuelan regime and a commission sent by the government of Joe Biden, and expressed that the next movements that will be made should be viewed with caution in order to make a more precise evaluation.
Elsa Cardozo, also an internationalist, told The National that it should not be thought that the Venezuelan government “has it all with itself” because it is in difficulties due to all the sanctions applied to Russia. Another issue that must be taken into account, he pointed out, is the unconditional political alignment of Maduro with Putin, with declarations, without half measures, of total support.
“The political issue is important and how the United States can find a way to reduce the implications that all this unconditional support can bring from Maduro to Putin. I insist a lot in these times not only on the issues of military deployment and infrastructure, but also on disinformation and cyber attacks. That is something that should also worry, “he said.
Using the Swift system
In the talks, Washington sought guarantees of free presidential elections, sweeping reforms of Venezuela’s oil industry to make it easier for foreign companies to produce and export, and public condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine.
US officials told the Maduro government that they were willing, as a concession, to consider the possibility of allow Venezuela temporary use of the Swift system. That cooperative of financial companies facilitates transactions between banks around the world to move money to other accounts, a source told Archyde.com.
