US oil sanctions on Venezuela could reach a tipping point this summer if a dire diesel shortage further exacerbates a humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold even as President Nicolás Maduro has strengthened his hold on power. President Joe Biden’s administration faces increasing calls to partially ease sanctions by again allowing crude-for-diesel swaps as a means of humanitarian aid, but doing so could indirectly help Venezuela produce more oil while keeping Maduro firmly in office. The Biden administration is figuring how to seek concessions from Maduro while essentially knowing that ongoing US demands for regime change are unrealistic, energy and geopolitical analysts said. “Venezuela could face a massive shortage of diesel in the next few months,” said Francisco Monaldi, Rice University fellow in Latin American energy policy. “There’s pressure on Biden to intervene in the humanitarian crisis. On the other hand, they don’t want to be seen as given […]