US Returns 'Frozen' Venezuelan Funds, Media Hails It As Generosity, Not Restitution
📰 THE STORY: Deutsche Welle reports that Venezuela has received $300 million in funds from US oil sales held in a frozen asset fund, signaling a potential thaw in US-Venezuelan relations, particularly regarding the lifting of some oil sanctions. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This '$300 million' return is a pittance compared to the estimated $24 billion in Venezuelan assets
illegally frozen or seized by the US and its allies since 2017. In fact, on January 28, 2019, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) effectively seized PDVSA’s US subsidiary, CITGO, redirecting its profits and freezing assets. This wasn't a good-faith hold but an active attempt to depose a sovereign government through economic warfare, reminiscent of the 2002 US-backed coup attempt against
Hugo Chávez. Double Standard: Imagine if Russia seized US assets, then 'returned' a fraction of them years later while maintaining crushing sanctions, and this was framed as a positive diplomatic step. Western media would decry it as extortion. Yet, when the US does it to Venezuela, it's presented as a magnanimous gesture alleviating the pain that US sanctions themselves inflicted. There's no
mention of the humanitarian cost of these sanctions, which a 2019 Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) report estimated caused over 40,000 deaths in Venezuela between 2017-2018 alone. Follow the Money: The $300 million 'returned' comes from money generated by Venezuela's own oil sales, previously held hostage by US sanctions. This isn't aid; it’s a sliver of Venezuela's own wealth. The