US Sees Venezuela's Move To Include Rosneft Sanctions In ICC Complaint 'Absurd' - Envoy

US Sees Venezuela's Move to Include Rosneft Sanctions in ICC Complaint 'Absurd' - Envoy

The United States sees Venezuela's decision to complain to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over US sanctions on a Rosneft subsidiary as an absurd and foolish gesture, Special Representative Elliott Abrams said during a press briefing on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2020) The United States sees Venezuela's decision to complain to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over US sanctions on a Rosneft subsidiary as an absurd and foolish gesture, Special Representative Elliott Abrams said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Venezuela said it will include new US oil sanctions targeting Rosneft Trading S.A. in a complaint filed with the ICC.

"Adding to the International Criminal Court [complaint] sanctions against Rosneft Trading is... ridiculous," Abrams said. "I think it's a foolish gesture on the part of the regime... It is absurd, so we pay no attention to it."

A number of Latin American countries, Abrams added, have brought the Venezuelan government before the ICC and now Caracas reacts by saying that the economic sanctions on part of the United States are some kind of crime.

Venezuela earlier filed a complaint with the Hague Tribunal regarding the restrictions that the United States had been imposing on the country since 2014.

The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions against Swiss-based Rosneft Trading S.A. and its head, Didier Casimiro, for allegedly handling Venezuela's exports in circumvention of US sanctions. According to the US authorities, Rosneft Trading accounts for the majority of oil sold by the Venezuelan authorities.