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Two American Prisoners Freed by Venezuela Following Talks with U.S.: Report

Two Americans were released after the White House sent a delegation to oil-rich Venezuela, a longtime bitter enemy of the United States, over the weekend.

Venezuela has released two imprisoned Americans following a rare visit this weekend to Caracas by a White House delegation, according to The New York Times. Citing a U.S. official and a Venezuelan human rights activist, the Times reported that the men freed were Gustavo Cárdenas, an oil executive detained in 2017, and Jorge Alberto Fernández, a Cuban-American tourist arrested last year. The pair’s release signals a potential thawing in relations between the U.S. and oil-rich Venezuela, longtime bitter enemies, as President Biden announces a ban on Russian oil and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine drags close to the two-week mark. The prisoner release was not a part of any deal by Venezuela, seen as one of Russia’s most stalwart allies, to restart the sale of oil to the U.S., according to American officials. Instead, the purpose of the delegation’s visit to Caracas was one of “energy security,” according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, and the subject of Americans detained in Venezuela. At least eight other U.S. nationals remain imprisoned there, including six oil executives from Citgo, who spoke with the U.S. delegation over the weekend, according to The Washington Post.