The interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, announced this Tuesday the unblocking of Venezuelan assets in the United States as a result of the talks held with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
During an event broadcast by the state television channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Rodríguez stated that the rapprochement with Washington has allowed for “opening channels of communication based on respect and courtesy,” which resulted in the partial release of Venezuelan resources held abroad since 2019 due to international sanctions.
"We are establishing a work agenda, and within that framework, we are unblocking resources from Venezuela that belong to the Venezuelan people. This will allow us to invest significant funds in medical and hospital equipment," he stated.
According to the interim leader, part of the released funds will also be allocated to the modernization of the electrical system and the gas industry, sectors that have collapsed after years of mismanagement and corruption under the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
The announcement marks the first tangible agreement between Caracas and Washington since the onset of the transition process following the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3rd, during a U.S. military operation.
Since then, the United States has maintained close oversight of the actions of Rodríguez's administration, which has stated that its government is already accessing Venezuela's frozen resources abroad to invest in health and infrastructure.
Rodríguez emphasized that his Government seeks to maintain a "diplomatic dialogue to settle disputes" and stated that the differences between the two nations must be resolved "through political conversation and institutional respect."
“Starting January 3, we have proposed that our differences be resolved through diplomacy, without impositions, based on sovereignty and cooperation,” expressed the interim president before officials and workers in the oil sector.
Asked by the press about Rodríguez's statements, President Donald Trump asserted on Tuesday that he maintains "a very good relationship" with the Venezuelan government. "I don't know exactly what's going on there, but we have a good relationship," the president said in the gardens of the White House, according to correspondent David Alandete.
The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has also confirmed contacts with the interim Venezuelan government, highlighting that Washington's strategy aims to ensure "a peaceful, orderly, and democratic transition" in the South American country.
In 2019, during his first term, Trump froze all assets and interests in the property of the Government of Venezuela located in the United States, and made it clear that they could not be "transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise negotiated."
For years, the Maduro regime has claimed that millions of dollars belonging to Venezuela, as well as gold reserves, were blocked in international banks due to sanctions from the United States and the European Union.
These resources included accounts from the Central Bank of Venezuela, funds from PDVSA, and assets under the control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
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