U.S. Appears Unlikely to Extend Venezuela Sanctions Deal April 18

Last minute negotiations to try and salvage some progress between Venezuela and the US towards establishing free and fair elections has so far come up short.

• The U.S. has made it clear it is not likely to renew the six-month license that granted sanctions relief that expires April 18.
• The Biden administration is expected to stop short of a full return to the "maximum pressure" campaign waged under former U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Reuters sources.
• "We have made very clear that if Maduro and his representatives did not fully implement their agreements under the Barbados agreement, we would reimpose sanctions, and I would just say stay tuned," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing in Washington on Tuesday.
• Among the steps they considered was allowing Venezuela to continue shipping oil but reimposing a ban on the use of U.S. dollars in such transactions according to Reuters sources.
• "He has upheld certain aspects of the Barbados agreement, including setting an election timetable and inviting international observation missions," Miller said. "At the same time, you've seen him block candidates from the opposition from the ballot. Those are things that we take very seriously. I don't want to make any announcements ahead of their time, but stay tuned over the next few days to see what more we will have to say in advance of this deadline."