WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th March, 2019) Insurance companies and flag carriers facilitating oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba are on notice after the Venezuelan National Assembly suspended crude exports to Cuba, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said in a statement.
"The Venezuelan National Assembly has decreed the suspension of crude exports to Cuba following the collapse of the national electrical grid," Bolton said via Twitter on Monday. "Insurance companies and flag carriers that facilitate these give-away shipments to Cuba are now on notice."
The United States has imposed numerous rounds of sanctions against Venezuela in response to the political developments in the country. In January, the United States blocked $7 billion in assets belonging to Venezuela's oil company PDVSA.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the US sanctions were tantamount to an illegal seizure of the country's sovereign assets.
The political crisis in Venezuela escalated in late January, when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself to be the country's interim president.
The United States and 54 countries have recognized Guaido, but Russia, China, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries have voiced their support for the Maduro government as Venezuela's only legitimate authority.
Maduro was sworn in for his second presidential term in January after winning the May 2018 elections. He has characterized Guaido as a puppet of the United States and accused Washington of attempting to stage a coup d'etat in Venezuela to exact a change in government.
