In brief
The US has lifted sanctions against Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela's interim president, who was sanctioned in 2018 for undermining democracy. The move comes after the recent removal of Nicolás Maduro by US forces, and it has raised hopes for political reconciliation. However, critics argue that the US should pressure Rodríguez to release political prisoners as a condition for ongoing support.
The United States has lifted sanctions on Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez.
The move comes less than three months after US forces seized the country's previous leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife in a military raid in Caracas and took them to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro who served as his vice-president, had been placed on the sanctions list in 2018, with the US accusing her of undermining democracy.
She was sworn in as interim president by Venezuela's National Assembly, which is dominated by Maduro loyalists, days after the US raid and has been described by Trump as a terrific person.
Rodríguez welcomed her removal from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List. Those named on the list have their assets in the United States blocked and US nationals are barred from doing business with them.
In a post on X, Rodríguez called it a significant step in the right direction to normalise and strengthen relations between our countries. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the move showed progress made between our two countries to promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela.
However, opposition activists in Caracas criticized the decision, urging the US to exert pressure on Rodríguez to release all political prisoners still held in the country's jails. The release of political prisoners had been a key demand made of Rodríguez by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
While the National Assembly has passed an amnesty law and hundreds of detainees have been freed, prisoners' rights group Foro Penal reports that almost 500 political prisoners remain incarcerated.
The lifting of sanctions represents the latest sign of warming relations between the Trump administration and Rodríguez's team, following the reopening of the US Embassy in Caracas, seven years after its closure.
A Venezuelan diplomatic team has also been dispatched to the US to reopen its embassy in Washington. Following Maduro's removal from office, multiple high-level US delegations have visited Venezuela to discuss the potential expansion of American access to the country's oil and mineral wealth.
However, critics have noted a lack of dialogue regarding democratic elections. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, currently in exile, has expressed skepticism about the Trump administration's approach, despite a positive meeting with Secretary Rubio.
Rubio affirmed that the US is making progress in Venezuela, with the intention of pursuing a path that leads to free and fair elections.
