Venezuela issues statement sharply rejecting EU’s renewal of sanctions

(MENAFN) Venezuela’s government on Monday strongly criticized the European Union’s decision to extend sanctions, denouncing what it described as unilateral coercive actions imposed against the country, according to official statements.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, the measures were labeled as "illegitimate, illegal, and contrary to international law," with officials linking the decision taken in Brussels to what they characterized as an "erratic foreign policy."

"The leaders of that bloc have unfortunately chosen to accelerate their own political decline by insisting on a line of sterile hostility against Venezuela," the administration of President Nicolas Maduro said.

The response from Caracas followed a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, where officials approved a one-year extension of the sanctions regime targeting Venezuela.
Under the renewed measures, 69 individuals connected to Maduro’s inner circle remain on the EU blacklist until January 10, 2027. European officials justified the extension by citing “persistent actions that undermine democracy and the rule of law, as well as the ongoing human rights violations and repression of civil society and the democratic opposition.”

First introduced in November 2017, the sanctions include travel bans barring listed individuals—including senior figures such as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez—from entering EU territory.

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