July 25, 2021

Joe Biden reaffirms US support for opposition leader Juan Guaido

US President Joe Biden reaffirmed in a letter Monday July 5, Venezuelan National Day, his country’s support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom he recognizes as interim president.

“More than ever, we remain determined to support the struggle for freedom for all Venezuelans through a peaceful and democratic transition”, wrote the US president in a letter to “Mr. President”.

The United States, like fifty countries in the international community, did not recognize the election of President Nicolas Maduro in the 2018 ballot boycotted by the opposition. They recognize Mr. Guaido as interim president and have imposed sanctions on Venezuela in an attempt to oust Maduro from power.

“It is on this day [fête nationale] that we underline the immense work carried out (…) in the search for a transition (…) under your leadership ”, continues the letter sent to Mr. Guaido through the United States Representative Office for Venezuela in Colombia and whose veracity was confirmed to Agence France-Presse from a diplomatic source.


The letter comes as the United States and Europe showed readiness in a joint statement on June 25 to ” see again “ sanctions if there was progress towards credible elections. Negotiations have been taking place for several weeks between the power of Mr. Maduro, the international community and the opposition.

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Negotiations have been taking place in recent days within the divided opposition to find out whether it should participate in the regional elections in November after boycotting the 2018 presidential election and the 2020 legislative elections.

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Washington and Caracas severed diplomatic ties in 2019 after the White House recognized Mr. Guaido as interim president. The US Embassy in Caracas was closed in favor of a Representative Office in Bogota.

Until recently, President Maduro had preserved in his speeches Democratic President Biden, who succeeded Republican President Donald Trump, who was very hostile to Maduro. But on Friday, he accused the CIA and the US military of planning his assassination, questioning whether Biden authorized him.

The World with AFP