The United States on Wednesday lifted sanctions against the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, which would mean another step in the normalization of relations between both countries.
Rodríguez assumed command of his country in January after Washington ousted Nicolás Maduro in a military operation.
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Among the sanctions lifted, Rodríguez’s name was removed from the “List of Specially Designated Nationals,” according to a posting on the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control website.
This list is prepared and updated by the Treasury Department based on the activities of countries considered hostile, which can be both individuals and companies from other countries and which are prohibited from having any type of economic or financial relationship with US companies.
Rodríguez’s reaction
The interim president of Venezuela reacted to the news through her X account with a message:
“We value President Donald Trump’s decision as a step in the direction of normalizing and strengthening relations between our countries.”
“We trust that this progress will allow the lifting of the sanctions in force on our country, allowing us to build and guarantee an effective binational cooperation agenda for the benefit of our people,” he added.
Delcy Rodríguez, 56, had been Maduro’s right-hand man since 2018. In September of that year she entered the list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Upon taking the reins of the country, and under pressure from Washington, he quickly undertook a series of economic reforms, such as opening the hydrocarbon sector to foreign investment, highly praised by President Donald Trump.
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Likewise, it promotes a political amnesty, demanded by the opposition, and has already made several changes to key figures in the government and the State security apparatus.
Rodríguez was the subject of investigations for years by the US anti-drug agency (DEA), as part of Washington’s pressure against the government led by Maduro, according to US media.
But that situation changed with his rise to power and his willingness to collaborate with Washington. Last month Trump announced that he recognized his government as legitimate.
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