President Biden announced late Tuesday that Venezuela has released two Americans who were “wrongly detained,” days after a U.S. delegation had traveled to the South American nation to meet with the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
Gustavo Cardenas and Jorge Fernandez were freed in a move that was billed as a step toward improving relations between the two nations amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“These men are fathers who lost precious time with their children and everyone they love, and their families have suffered every day of their absence,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “I am grateful to Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and our entire diplomatic team for their tireless efforts to secure their release and reunite these families.”
Mr. Cardenas is a U.S. citizen and one of six former Citgo executives who had been detained in Caracas since 2017.
Mr. Fernandez was detained in February 2021 near the border with Colombia after he was found in possession of a drone, whose use is restricted in Venezuela. He was accused of terrorism.
The release came hours after Mr. Maduro signaled an interest in improving relations at a time when Russia’s invasion has helped drive up the cost of gasoline in the United States.
In a televised address, Mr. Maduro appeared to indicate he was willing to accede to U.S. demands that he resume negotiations with his opponents as a first building block for any relief from U.S. sanctions that have been punishing the OPEC nation for years.
The Biden administration said the U.S. delegation’s visit to Venezuela was the first since President Hugo Chavez led the country in the 1990s.
The weekend discussions came a little more than three years after the U.S. broke off relations with Mr. Maduro and recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
“Unjustly holding Americans captive is always unacceptable,” Mr. Biden said in his statement. “And even as we celebrate the return of Cardenas and Fernandez, we also remember the names and the stories of every American who is being unjustly held against their will — in Venezuela, in Russia, in Afghanistan, Syria, China, Iran, and elsewhere around the world.”
“My Administration will keep fighting to bring them all home,” he said.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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