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Venezuela; what sanctions does the US currently have on Venezuela that have been so stressful?
Here’s a clear, structured breakdown of what U.S. sanctions on Venezuela actually are, and why they’ve been so economically painful, grounded in the search results you triggered.
🇻🇪 What U.S. Sanctions Are Currently Imposed on Venezuela?
The U.S. sanctions regime on Venezuela is broad and layered. It targets:
🛑 1. The Government of Venezuela (Full Blocking Sanctions)
Under Executive Order 13884, the U.S. blocks all property and interests of the Government of Venezuela in the U.S. and prohibits almost all transactions with government entities.
This includes:
Ministries
State-owned companies
Central Bank of Venezuela
PDVSA (the national oil company)
This is the single most economically impactful sanction.
🛢️ 2. Oil Sector Sanctions (PDVSA)
The U.S. has restricted Venezuela’s ability to sell oil internationally since 2019.
Key effects:
U.S. companies cannot buy Venezuelan crude without a special license
PDVSA cannot access the U.S. financial system
Foreign companies dealing with PDVSA risk secondary sanctions
Oil is 95% of Venezuela’s export revenue, so this is the core pressure point.
Sources: U.S. State Department and OFAC program descriptions.
💵 3. Financial Sanctions
These measures block Venezuela from raising money or restructuring debt:
Prohibition on trading Venezuelan government bonds
Prohibition on buying new debt from PDVSA or the government
Restrictions on dividend payments from U.S.-based subsidiaries (e.g., CITGO)
These sanctions severely limit Venezuela’s access to global capital markets.
Source: Congress.gov overview of U.S. sanctions policy.
👤 4. Individual Sanctions
Hundreds of Venezuelan officials and associates are sanctioned for:
Corruption
Human rights abuses
Undermining democracy
These sanctions freeze assets and ban U.S. persons from dealing with them.
Source: Atlantic Council sanctions tracker.
🧊 5. Sectoral Sanctions
Targeted restrictions on:
Gold sector
Banking sector
State airline (Conviasa)
Military and security services
These are designed to cut off revenue streams that support the Maduro government.
Source: OFAC program details.
🤝 6. Humanitarian Exemptions
The U.S. explicitly allows:
Food
Medicine
Medical devices
NGO operations
OFAC has issued many general licenses to prevent humanitarian harm.
But in practice, banking over-compliance often blocks even legal transactions.
🔥 Why Have These Sanctions Been So Stressful for Venezuela?
Here’s the real-world impact:
1. Oil exports collapsed
Sanctions on PDVSA cut Venezuela off from its main buyers and from the U.S. refining system designed for its heavy crude.
2. Loss of access to global finance
Venezuela cannot borrow, refinance, or restructure debt, worsening its economic crisis.
3. Frozen assets abroad
Billions in Venezuelan state assets (including CITGO) are frozen or controlled by opposition-aligned boards.
4. Secondary sanctions scared off non-U.S. companies
Even companies in Europe, Asia, and Latin America avoid Venezuela to avoid U.S. penalties.
5. Humanitarian over-compliance
Even though humanitarian goods are exempt, banks often refuse to process any Venezuela-related transactions.
🧭 If you want, I can also break down:
How sanctions changed after the 2023 Barbados agreement
What sanctions were temporarily eased and then reimposed
How sanctions compare to those on Cuba or Iran
How sanctions affect oil markets (which ties to the article you have open)
Just tell me where you want to go next.
How do these sanctions compare with those on Cuba?
Here’s a clean, evidence‑based comparison of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela vs. Cuba, grounded in the search results you triggered.
🇻🇪🇨🇺 How U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela Compare With Those on Cuba
The U.S. sanctions regimes on both countries are heavy, but they are not the same type of heavy. Cuba faces the longest-running, near‑total embargo in modern U.S. foreign policy, while Venezuela faces broad financial and oil-sector sanctions aimed at the Maduro government.
Below is a structured comparison.
🇨🇺 Cuba: The Longest, Most Comprehensive U.S. Sanctions Regime
Search results confirm:
The U.S. has maintained “an extensive regime of economic, trade and financial restrictions… for over 60 years”.
It is the longest-running unilateral sanctions policy in U.S. history.
It is a near-total embargo, covering:
Trade
Finance
Investment
Shipping
Banking
Travel (with exceptions)
Key features:
1. Full Trade Embargo
U.S. companies cannot export to Cuba (except humanitarian goods) or import Cuban goods.
2. Financial Embargo
No U.S. financing, no U.S. banks, no dollar transactions.
3. Extraterritorial Sanctions (Helms‑Burton Act)
Foreign companies can be sued in U.S. courts for “trafficking” in property nationalized by Cuba.
4. Restrictions on Travel & Services
U.S. citizens face limits on tourism and transactions with Cuban state entities.
5. Targeting of Military‑linked Companies
The U.S. maintains a Cuba Restricted List of entities tied to the Cuban military and intelligence services.
Impact:
The UN and human rights experts note that sanctions “cause significant effects across all aspects of life on the island”.
🇻🇪 Venezuela: Broad, Government‑Focused Sanctions
Unlike Cuba, Venezuela is not under a full embargo. The sanctions are broad but targeted at the Maduro government and state-owned companies, especially PDVSA.
Key features:
1. Blocking Sanctions on the Government
All property of the Government of Venezuela in the U.S. is blocked.
2. Oil Sector Sanctions
PDVSA is sanctioned, cutting off Venezuela from:
U.S. buyers
U.S. refineries
U.S. financial system
This is the most economically damaging element.
3. Financial Sanctions
Prohibitions on:
Buying Venezuelan government debt
Trading PDVSA bonds
Dividend payments from CITGO
4. Individual Sanctions
Hundreds of officials sanctioned for corruption or human rights abuses.
5. Sectoral Sanctions
Gold, banking, aviation, and security sectors targeted.
Impact:
Venezuela’s economy—already fragile—was pushed into deeper crisis because oil is 95% of export revenue.
🧩 So Which Is “Worse”?
It depends on the metric:
Most Comprehensive / Longest / Most Extraterritorial
➡️ Cuba
The embargo is total, decades-long, and affects the entire economy.
Most Rapidly Devastating
➡️ Venezuela
Oil sanctions caused a sudden collapse in revenue, accelerating an already severe economic crisis.
Most Isolating
➡️ Cuba
The embargo blocks nearly all trade and investment.
Most Targeted at Government Actors
➡️ Venezuela
Sanctions are framed as “targeted,” though the economic spillover is broad.
If you want, I can also break down:
How sanctions relief works for each country
Which sanctions are legally hardest to lift
How Canada and the EU differ from the U.S. on both cases
How sanctions affect oil markets (ties to the article you have open)
Just tell me where you want to go next.
How do Canada and the EU differ on both cases?
Here’s a clear, evidence‑based breakdown of how Canada and the EU differ from the U.S. — and from each other — in their sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba, grounded in the search results you triggered.
I’ll keep it structured so you can see the contrasts instantly.
🌍 Canada vs. EU vs. U.S. — Sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba
🇨🇦 Canada’s Approach
Venezuela
Canada uses targeted sanctions, not broad economic ones.
Canada sanctions Venezuelan officials for human rights violations and repression.
As of 2025, Canada sanctioned 123 individuals linked to the Maduro government.
Canada does not sanction PDVSA or Venezuelan oil.
Canada maintains diplomatic pressure but avoids measures that would collapse the Venezuelan economy.
Canada’s sanctions are aligned with the EU’s approach — targeted, not systemic.
Cuba
Canada’s position is dramatically different from the U.S.:
No embargo
Full diplomatic relations
Major tourism and investment ties
Canada openly criticizes the U.S. embargo as counterproductive.
Canada is Cuba’s largest source of tourists and a major investor in mining and hospitality.
🇪🇺 European Union’s Approach
Venezuela
The EU applies targeted sanctions, similar to Canada:
Sanctions on 69 individuals for corruption, repression, and undermining democracy.
Arms embargo on Venezuela.
No oil sanctions, no financial embargo, no blocking of government assets.
The EU’s goal is to pressure officials, not collapse the economy.
Cuba
The EU:
Has no embargo on Cuba.
Maintains full diplomatic and economic relations.
Strongly opposes the U.S. Helms‑Burton Act (which penalizes foreign companies doing business in Cuba).
Is Cuba’s largest trading partner.
The EU’s stance is essentially the opposite of the U.S. embargo.
🇺🇸 How This Differs From the U.S.
Venezuela
The U.S. uses broad economic sanctions:
Blocks the entire Government of Venezuela.
Sanctions PDVSA (oil sector).
Restricts debt, bonds, and financial transactions.
Canada and the EU do not do this.
Cuba
The U.S. maintains a full embargo:
No trade
No investment
No U.S. financing
Strong extraterritorial penalties
Canada and the EU reject this approach entirely.
🧩 Why These Differences Exist
Canada
Prioritizes human rights but avoids broad sanctions that harm civilians.
Has deep economic and tourism ties with Cuba.
Aligns with EU multilateralism rather than U.S. unilateral embargoes.
European Union
Strongly opposes extraterritorial sanctions.
Maintains engagement strategies with Cuba.
Uses targeted sanctions to avoid humanitarian fallout.
United States
Uses sanctions as a primary foreign policy tool.
Cuba embargo is historically rooted in Cold War politics.
Venezuela sanctions escalated rapidly after 2017.
If you want, I can also map:
Which sanctions are easiest/hardest to lift
How sanctions affect oil markets (ties to your open MSN article)
How Canada’s position affects Quebec’s energy and trade
Just tell me where you want to go next.
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