Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday asked U.S. President Donald Trump to end punitive sanctions and other measures aimed at the South American country.
File photo of Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez. (File photo: VCG)
In December, Trump ordered a "blockade" of sanctioned oil vessels heading to and from Venezuela. Other sanctions have been applied to individuals and state entities in Caracas.
"Let the blockade and sanctions against Venezuela end now," Rodriguez said in a speech on state television.
The U.S. Treasury has eased a seven-year-old oil embargo on Venezuela, as part of Washington's bid to boost oil production in the country with the world's largest proven reserves of crude. In recent weeks, it has issued licenses allowing a handful of multinationals to operate in Venezuela under certain conditions.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump said the United States had received more than 80 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, "our new friend and partner."
Under pressure from Washington, Rodriguez pushed through a major reform of the country's hydrocarbon laws, opening up the sector to private and foreign investment.