US delegation discussed energy supplies in a meeting with the government of Venezuela's President Maduro, the White House says, as Washington looks for ways to reduce its imports of Russian oil
Venezuela's opposition also said it had met with the high-level US delegation, whose trip to Caracas came as Washington seeks to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
"As it relates to Venezuela, the purpose of the trip that was taken by administration officials was to discuss a range of issues including certainly energy, energy security," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday. Venezuela's opposition also said it had met with the high-level US delegation, whose trip to Caracas – reported by multiple US media – came as Washington seeks to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.The weekend meeting comes as Washington looks for ways to reduce its imports of Russian oil.
According to The New York Times, the visit by senior State Department and White House officials was linked to Washington's alleged interest in replacing part of the oil it currently buys from Russia with the oil it stopped buying from Venezuela.