Trump sanctions the "Petro" of Maduro

Donald Trump has signed an executive order that imposes new sanctions against Venezuela for its controversial "petro" cryptocurrency.

Earlier, it was said that the president of the USA. UU He was preparing to sign an executive order imposing additional sanctions on the South American nation for its attempt to circumvent existing economic restrictions, McClatchy DC reported Friday. On Monday, Trump signed an order blocking any US transaction. UU In the petro, announced the White House.

The sanctions represent the most notable development to date since Venezuela launched the petro in February. As government officials declared at the time, Venezuela is trying to use cryptocurrency as a way to circumvent international sanctions.

The Trump administration would make such a move perhaps not surprising; Several US lawmakers have harshly criticized the petro, with senators Bob Menéndez, Marco Rubio and, later, Bill Nelson, writing letters to the Treasury asking how it would protect American investors and prevent Venezuela from raising money.

The Treasury Department still has to respond directly to the content of the letters, but confirmed that the risks of sanctions would apply to Americans who buy the token.

The controversial record has also received setbacks from within the borders of Venezuela. The nation's Congress denounced it as "illegal" and unconstitutional.

And although Maduro has claimed to have raised up to $ 5 billion through the advance sale of the token, no evidence has been presented to support this claim.