Joe Biden expresses support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido

US President Joe Biden continues to look to re-engage with the country’s allies and partners while also voicing his support for other nations. This week, Biden expressed his support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as negotiations continue with President Nicolas Maduro’s administration.

Biden sent a letter to Guaido Monday reaffirming his support for the opposition leader. This also comes as the US looks to continue negotiating with Maduro’s administration. The letter was sent to Guaido through the Office of Venezuelan Affairs based in Colombia, according to an agency official.

Biden’s letter comes as Venezuela celebrates its independence day last July 5. Guaido is acknowledged as the country’s interim leader by many other nations, and Biden said that the opposition leader is guiding the country through a peaceful and democratic transition of power. Guaido’s position follows the election of Maduro back in 2018 in elections that were also claimed to be fraudulent.

“Under your leadership and in coalition with civil society leaders you are preserving those ideals of freedom, democracy, and sovereignty,” said Biden in the letter.

Relations between Venezuela and the US have been strained under the administration of now-former President Donald Trump. Trump imposed severe financial sanctions on the country and its national oil company in an effort to oust the leftist as Venezuela suffered a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis.

Back in June, the US and the European Union said that they would be willing to renegotiate some sanctions if Venezuelans made efforts to ensure the integrity of elections. Also, this week, Guaido led rallies calling for a new election as the main opposition parties boycotted the 2018 presidential election and 2020 legislative elections.

In other news, Biden called on Congress this week to conduct the investigation on the insurrection that happened at the Capitol on January 6. A mob of Trump supporters and right-wing militia groups stormed the Capitol in an attempt to derail and overturn Congress’ certification of electoral votes. Last week, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reached a vote to form a select committee to conduct the probe.

“Not even during the Civil War did insurrectionists breach our Capitol, the citadel of our democracy. But six months ago today, insurrectionists did,” said the US leader in a statement. “This was not dissent. It was disorder. It posed an existential crisis and a test of whether our democracy could survive -- a sad reminder that there is nothing guaranteed about our democracy.”