Venezuela has declared a state of emergency after a series of strong earthquakes destroyed buildings in cities including the capital Caracas, killing at least 164 people and injuring nearly 1,000.
After Wednesday’s earthquake, the United States announced it was in contact with Venezuelan authorities to mobilize aid for the South American nation, which has historically suffered under crippling sanctions by Washington.
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The economic stranglehold was partially lifted after U.S. forces abducted then-President Nicolas Maduro in a raid in January. The interim government, led by Maduro ally Delcy Rodriguez, has maintained stable relations with the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has since sought to restart US investment in the country’s oil sector.
Trump was one of the first leaders to pledge aid to Venezuela. “The United States is ready and willing to help! I have directed all agencies of the government to be ready to act quickly,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “We’re there for our new great friends.”
Rodriguez responded by thanking President Trump “for providing support and solidarity to the Venezuelan people in the face of this tragedy that has saddened us.”
Partial lifting of sanctions, including those against Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president, will allow Venezuela to trade more freely with U.S. companies and financial institutions, but experts said two concerns dominate much of the discussion about aid operations.
“On the one hand, that aid will not reach those in need,” said Sara Shiffring, deputy director of Finland’s HUMLOG Institute, which studies humanitarian logistics and supply chain management at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki.
“On the other hand, the United States will use this disaster to increase its influence in Venezuela.”
Here’s what we know:
What kind of sanctions are there against Venezuela?
In addition to U.S. sanctions targeting specific individuals and groups since 2005, the European Union and the United Kingdom have also imposed sanctions on Venezuela since 2017, citing so-called political repression and democratic backsliding under Maduro.
According to the EU, “these measures include embargoes on arms and equipment for internal repression, as well as travel bans and asset freezes for individuals on the list.”
The United States lifted sanctions on Rodriguez himself this year, and in April the U.S. Treasury announced it would issue new licenses allowing him to do business with certain Venezuelan banks and individuals.
Rodriguez argued that the measures were not enough to save Venezuela from its ongoing economic crisis and called for more relief. “We reiterate the need to move towards a sanctions-free Venezuela as a means of providing institutional legal certainty to investors coming to our country, providing an environment that guarantees long-term sustainable investment and a forward-looking perspective,” Rodríguez said on social media at the time.
How is aid affected by sanctions?
Schiffling, who lectures on supply chain management at Hanken University, said sanctions are known to have a secondary effect of restricting the flow of humanitarian aid.
“Financial sanctions can make it difficult for NGOs to send money to affected countries to pay staff and suppliers,” she said. “It could also create additional administrative burdens that could slow operations and make it more difficult to import goods and bring staff into the country.”
Additionally, aid agencies may be wary of inadvertently violating restrictions and halting or delaying deliveries as a result.
“Most importantly, we need to consider the impact sanctions are already having on Venezuela’s domestic market,” Schiffring said.
Sanctions imposed by the United States, Canada and the European Union on Venezuela’s oil and financial sectors are exacerbating the country’s economic crisis. According to 2024 United Nations statistics, nearly eight out of 10 Venezuelans live in poverty, and many lack access to food and essential medicines.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri said sanctions were one of the main constraints on governments’ ability to implement social protection programs and provide basic public services. After visiting the Latin American country in February 2024, Fakhri noted that lack of access to affordable food, malnutrition and deteriorating livelihoods are leading to mass migration from the country.
Shiffling said Wednesday’s earthquake “hit a population already in dire need and with little capacity to cope with further disruption.” He said the domestic market for essential goods was likely insufficient to meet the country’s needs, making shipments from abroad even more urgent.
What is the US doing now about aid to Venezuela?
U.S. State Department official Jeremy Lewin wrote in the X-Post that Washington is working with Venezuela’s interim government to “deploy search and rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies, and other resources in the critical first days following this tragic natural disaster.”
But Schiffring warned that while humanitarian principles require aid to be impartial, neutral and independent, in practice this is often not the case, and that the United States is likely to seek to position itself in ways that increase its influence domestically.
Since attacking Venezuela and kidnapping President Maduro in January, Washington has sought to reap economic benefits by effectively taking control of the oil industry. President Trump claimed that the military operation in Venezuela lasted “exactly 48 minutes,” but that the United States recouped its costs 28 times through oil drilling.
Mr. Rodriguez has largely followed Mr. Trump’s ambitions by liberalizing Venezuela’s economy and opening it up to more foreign investment, but observers said he had little choice. President Trump has vowed to “execute” Venezuela, and after Maduro’s abduction, warned that a second wave of military action could occur if President Rodriguez did not comply with his demands.
In response, Venezuela’s acting president signed a bill in January that facilitates private foreign investment in the oil industry, worth an estimated $8 billion. The Trump administration has characterized this as a mutual benefit, but neither side has yet disclosed how much oil it will sell or how much revenue it will collect.
Now, the Venezuela earthquake could pave the way for more direct U.S. investment to meet immediate needs such as drinking water infrastructure and long-term recovery projects.
When operating in insecure areas such as Venezuela, aid workers may require armed escort just to reach those in need. “(This) undermines neutrality and, of course, could lead to the organization being seen as affiliated with armed groups,” Schiffring said.
“With government funding, of course, there is always the question of whether the money is only going to go to those that advance a particular political agenda.”
