Venezuela releases at least two Americans after talks with the US

Venezuela released on Tuesday at least two citizens Americans jailed, people familiar with the matter said, in an apparent goodwill gesture toward the president’s administration Joe Biden after a visit to Caracas of a high-level delegation from Washington.

One of the released prisoners was identified as Gustavo Cardenas, one of six former Citgo oil executives arrested in 2017 and convicted on charges the US government says were fabricated, the sources said. The other released was a Cuban-American held on unrelated charges, the sources said.

The weekend meetings focused not only on the fate of Americans detained in Venezuela, but also on the possibility of easing US oil sanctions on the South American country, a close ally of Russia, and thus fill the supply gap. once Biden banned Russian oil imports in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

There was no immediate information on the whereabouts of those released. Washington has sought the release of at least nine men, including the so-called “Citgo 6,” two former Green Berets and a former Marine.

The US delegation, the highest level to travel to Venezuela in recent years, met this Sunday with detainees in a Venezuelan prison. US hostage envoy Roger Carstens was part of the group and is believed to have stayed behind to finalize the release.

Tuesday’s action followed talks in Caracas on Saturday as the Biden administration sought ways to avoid the impact of rising gasoline prices in the United States triggered by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine and Western efforts to punish Moscow for it.

Biden on Tuesday announced a US ban on Russian oil and other energy sources, intensifying a pressure campaign on Moscow. Such measures could further increase gasoline prices for US consumers, adding new inflationary pressures.

The engagement with Maduro, a longtime US adversary, was also aimed at assessing whether Venezuela is prepared to distance itself from Russia.

But the Biden administration faced heavy criticism in Congress in Washington for its outreach to Maduro, who is under US sanctions for human rights abuses and political repression.