Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Quevedo (pictured) stated that the state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) will open its Moscow offices in June, Sputnik reported on Thursday. During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Quevedo added that all the preparations were done during the previous month and that the firm is currently transferring people to the new branch.
Quevedo visited Moscow in March to discuss the relocation of the PDVSA's European headquarters, previously planned for April, amid escalating tensions between the regime in Caracas and the United States administration. The White House imposed sanctions not just against PDVSA, but also against numerous individuals and companies allegedly abetting the oil giant in its evasion of punitive measures.
The US is pressuring the oil-rich Latin American country in an effort to force the embattled President Nicolas Maduro to renounce power. Earlier, Russian oil giant PJSC Rosneft Oil Co. denied it has bought Venezuela's oil in breach of sanctions, deposited Kremlin's open support towards the government in Caracas.
