Diplomatic negotiations and embassies from the United States continue as the country waits for Venezuela to reverse the decision.
The US has warned it will not renew Venezuela's oil export license in April if the Venezuelan government bars presidential candidates from running this year. The Americans are also considering introducing new measures.
Brazil does not directly participate in the sanctions debate, but rather observes it and is a player with a central role in the broader negotiations, including in the context of the socalled “democratic transition” in Venezuela.
The US is threatening to resume sanctions against Venezuela after noncompliance with the agreement
Last July, Brazil, France, Argentina and Colombia issued a statement on Venezuela in the presence of President Lula at the meeting of European and Latin American countries, calling for clean and fair elections and an end to international sanctions against the country.
Also last year, Brazil took part in various meetings on this topic, in Venezuela itself, in Colombia and in Barbados.
In October, the United States eased sanctions on the oil sector which, when in force, stifled Venezuela economically after the Nicolás Maduro government signed an agreement with the opposition for “free and fair” presidential elections in 2024.
Nicolás Maduro, in power since 2013, was reelected in 2018 after banning his two main rivals from taking part in the election.
In this dispute, the United Nations refused to send international observers and the opposition condemned fraud and vote buying. A large part of the international community considered Maduro's election to be illegitimate.
Last May, Lula criticized international sanctions against Maduro's dictatorial regime and said economic blockades were worse than war.
The President received Nicolás Maduro for a closed meeting in Brasília. In a speech, he defended Maduro and said the accusations that Venezuela was a dictatorship were part of a “narrative.” The statement had a negative impact on the meeting of presidents.
In June, the Brazilian president again commented on Nicolás Maduro's regime. In an interview with Rádio Gaúcha, Lula said that the concept of democracy is “relative”.
Later the same day, Lula had to tone it down, saying he likes democracy.
“We like democracy, we like it when people protest against us, we like it when there are strikes against us, we like it when we negotiate. None of this is against democracy,” Lula said.