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Venezuelan FM: Caracas to Fulfill Cuba Oil Obligations Despite US Sanctions

BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Venezuela will fulfill its obligations on oil deliveries to Cuba despite the new US sanctions, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Monday.
Sputnik

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced the United States’ latest round of economic sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil sector as "economic piracy".

"When capitalism attacks you, you must respond […] I cannot disclose the strategy, but we will always fulfill our obligations to fraternal peoples such as Cuba", Arreaza said in a statement aired by Telesur broadcaster.

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Earlier in April, the United States sanctioned 34 vessels tied to the Venezuelan PDVSA oil company, controlled by the government of President Nicolas Maduro, and two companies that allegedly transport oil from Venezuela to Cuba.

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Moreover, a senior official from the administration of US President Donald Trump said the latest round of sanctions was introduced at the request of the Venezuelan opposition-led National Assembly.

The United States has imposed numerous rounds of sanctions against Venezuela in response to the political developments in the country. On 28 January, the United States announced the imposition of sanctions on Venezuela’s PDVSA, blocking the company's assets worth $7 billion remaining under the US jurisdiction.

According to the White House' forecast, the company will lose another $11 billion in oil supplies. In addition, Washington introduced a ban on making deals with the company.

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Venezuela has long been suffering from an acute economic crisis exacerbated by the US sanctions against the country. In January,  opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela after disputing Maduro’s re-election in May. Washington immediately endorsed Guaido and called on Maduro to step down.

Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a US puppet. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries have voiced their support for constitutionally elected Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.

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