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 The crisis-stricken OPEC nation's crude exports have plummeted to
their lowest levels in decades since Washington sanctioned state oil
company Petroleos de Venezuela in 2019, cutting off Venezuela's
exports to the United States and dissuading many other customers
from buying Venezuelan oil as well.
Maduro said Venezuela was working to pay for vaccines from the World
Health Organization's (WHO) COVAX mechanism - which provides vaccine
access to poor countries - both through Venezuelan funds frozen in
overseas accounts due to sanctions, and through oil shipments.
"Venezuela has the oil vessels and has the customers who will buy
our oil," Maduro said in a state television address. "We are ready
and prepared for oil for vaccines, but we will not beg anyone."
Venezuela has received vaccine doses from allies Russia and China.
The government and the opposition had been in talks with the Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO) over Venezuela's access to
vaccines through COVAX, but the government said last week it would
not accept the AstraZeneca PLC vaccine, one of the main inoculations
deployed by COVAX in Latin America.
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Washington labels Maduro - who has overseen an
economic collapse since taking office in the
South American country in 2013 - a dictator who
rigged his 2018 re-election and has violated
human rights in crackdowns on dissent.
Maduro says Washington is seeking to oust him in
a coup to control Venezuela's oil reserves, the
largest in the world by some measures.
(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago in Caracas; Writing
by Luc Cohen; editing by Diane Craft)
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