Biden has extended the executive order that classifies Maduro’s dictatorship as a threat to US security for a year

Joe Bidenextended for one year the decree that qualifies the Venezuelan regime as unusual threat for the safety of UNITED STATES, This was announced this Wednesday by the White House through a press release.

The decree published this Wednesday by the Biden Administration denounces “the violation of human rights by the government of Venezuela, the persecution of opposition politiciansrestriction of freedom of the press, use of violence and repression of demonstrationsthe arbitrary detention of demonstrators and the exacerbated presence of significant government corruption.

For the White House, in its resolution published this Thursday, “circumstances have not improved”, therefore the Venezuelan dictatorship continues to represent an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States”.

The executive order Biden was referring to was issued on March 8, 2015 by the Democratic president barack obama and since then it has been extended every three months by him and his successor, Republican Donald Trump.

Maduro has previously expressed his hope that a “direct, courageous, sincere and understanding” dialogue with the US government. However, he felt that “there has been no sign” of improvement with Biden’s arrival at the White House compared to the mandate of his predecessor, donald trumpin relation to the sanctions imposed on the Chavista regime.

The Chavista regime demands the lifting of sanctions against itas well as in the oil sector. The international community, led by the United States, and the Venezuelan opposition, for its part, are calling for free and transparent elections and the release of political prisoners.

Current war in ukraine further separates the positions of the United States and the Maduro dictatorship, one of the few allies of Vladimir Putin’s regime.

In fact, as the West seeks to further isolate Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, Maduro ratified that Venezuela would maintain trade relations with Moscowafter several nations and blocs chose to break away.

The Chavista dictator assured that Russia is a military, economic, commercial and technological “power”, but that Venezuela will “maintain all its exchanges, at all levels” with the Kremlin.

“Economic war is the main war that imperialism is waging against Russia to destroy Russia.. The objective of the North American empire and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was to encircle it militarily and Russia acted,” he said.

The United States has been monitoring the Russian presence in Venezuela for some time. In August 2020, Admiral Craig Fallerthen head of the Armed Forces Southern Command – whose orbit includes the Caribbean country – said “Russian influence is the main force keeping Nicolás Maduro in power”.

“I see with concern what Russia is doing with Venezuela in terms of deploying personnel and spreading disinformation,” he added during a conference on Latin America in the thinking group Atlantic Council.

In March last year, the Kremlin bolstered its support for the Venezuelan dictator with the signing of around ten food, financial, energy, military, scientific, technological and mining cooperation agreements.

(With information from AFP and White House press release)

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