How Russia’s War Has Strengthened Venezuela’s Hand

For Washington, Venezuela is a viable alternative to Russia, because the refineries along the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico are accustomed to the heavy crude oil, like Russian Urals or the one found in Venezuela. After a new round of the U.S. sanctions against Caracas in 2018, Russian deliveries supplanted those from Venezuela, accounting for 8 percent of U.S. oil imports as of 2021. Now, the opposite process appears to be under way. Read the full article here