Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said on Monday he had agreed an agenda for future talks with a US delegation he met on Saturday, the first high-level meeting between the two countries in years.
Officials from the two countries discussed easing oil sanctions on the South American country but made little progress to reach an agreement, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday, part of a US effort to separate Russia from one of their main allies.
“Last Saturday night, a delegation from the government of the United States of America arrived in Venezuela, I received it here at the presidential palace,” Maduro said in a broadcast on state media.
“We had a meeting, I can describe it as respectful, cordial, very diplomatic,” he said.
The meeting lasted two hours, he said, without specifying the topics discussed or who the US delegates were.
Sources previously told Reuters that the US delegation was led by Juan Gonzalez, the White House’s top adviser for Latin America, US Ambassador James Story, as well as Roger Carstens, the US presidential special envoy for hostage affairs.
Earlier, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the purpose of the trip was to discuss a range of issues, including “energy security” and the cases of nine US citizens who are stranded in Venezuela.
Negotiations will continue, Maduro said, without giving a date.
Source: CNN Brasil
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