The special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, Richard Grenell, is meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, according to the U.S. special envoy for Latin America, Mauricio Claver-Carone.
Trump stated last week that his administration would likely stop purchasing oil from Venezuela.
Grenell, Trump’s envoy for special missions, previously said that he had spoken with multiple officials in Venezuela and would begin meetings just days after the outgoing Biden administration imposed new sanctions on Maduro’s government.
“Diplomacy is back,” Grenell said in a post on the social media platform X, revealing his initial calls.
During his campaign, Trump called Maduro a dictator after leading a “maximum pressure” campaign against him during his first term from 2017 to 2021, which included imposing harsh sanctions on the South American country and its oil industry.
Former President Joe Biden briefly lifted some of the Trump-era restrictions following election promises from Maduro but later reinstated them, stating that the Venezuelan leader had failed to uphold his commitments to fair democratic elections.
The *Financial Times* reported on Friday that Chevron is seeking to protect a special U.S. license allowing it to operate in Venezuela.
The CEO of the oil giant, Mike Wirth, told the newspaper that the company would engage with the White House after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the license should be reconsidered.
If Chevron is expelled from Venezuela, China and Russia will gain influence in the OPEC nation, Wirth said.
Venezuela’s oil exports to the U.S. increased by 64% to approximately 222,000 barrels per day last year, making the U.S. the country’s second-largest export market after China, which received 351,000 barrels per day—an 18% decline compared to the previous year.
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