BOGOTA (Reuters) – Venezuela’s government on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the U.S. presidential contest, saying in a statement it is willing to build good relations and mutual respect between the two nations.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Trump have a historically tense relationship. During his first term, Trump put in place harsher sanctions on the South American country, especially on its key oil industry. Maduro broke off relations in 2019.
The Biden administration briefly rolled back the Trump-era restrictions on electoral promises from Maduro, but has since reinstated them, saying manipulation in Venezuela’s July presidential contest has stripped Maduro’s claims of victory of “any credibility” and that it is closely studying possible new sanctions.
(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb)
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