Does Cafiero believe that Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba are dictatorships?
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(CNN) --
The Joe Biden administration will begin easing some energy sanctions against Venezuela to further political discussions between President Nicolás Maduro and the opposition, two senior administration officials told CNN.
The first step, to be announced Tuesday, will allow Chevron -- the last major US oil company still operating in Venezuela -- to negotiate its license with state oil company PDVSA to continue its activities in the country, the officials said.
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For months, the US has been in talks with the Venezuelan government and the interim administration of opposition leader Juan Guaidó to move toward a political settlement following Maduro's disputed 2019 electoral victory, which the US did not recognize as legitimate. .
The United States has also sought ways to allow Venezuela to start producing more oil and be able to sell it on the international market, thereby reducing the world's energy dependency on Russia, officials told CNN.
But sanctions relief in any area will only come if Maduro continues to hold substantive talks with the opposition, the officials stressed.
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The government took the measures on Tuesday "in full coordination" with Guaidó and his interim administration, which the United States recognizes as the legitimate leadership of Venezuela, an official said.
Before sanctions relief goes any further, the United States will need to see significant progress in political discussions, officials warned.
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