Meeks on Oil Deal with Venezuela: ‘To Our Benefit’ if We Can Turn Them Away from Russia, ‘Strategically, It Makes Sense’

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “MTP Daily,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) reacted to a possible oil deal with Venezuela, by stating that, with certain conditions, if we can move Venezuela away “from being an ally and selling oil and dealing with Russia, it’s to our benefit.” And “strategically, it makes sense. Particularly, because we share this hemisphere.”

After host Chuck Todd raised the prospect of Maduro becoming an ally like Stalin became an ally during World War II, Meeks said, “I think that what we’re looking at is a scenario, as far as I’m concerned, where, if we can wean off Nicolas Maduro from being an ally and selling oil and dealing with Russia, it’s to our benefit. But we still have to make sure that we stand with our — now, there [are] three things that we wanted from Nicolas Maduro. We wanted to make sure that, number one, he would go back to the negotiating table. Number two, that we would get our hostages back or those that were imprisoned. We’ve gotten two. So, we’ve got to continue to work more. And number three, we wanted to make sure that we pull him away from Russia. And so, we’re trying to see whether that works. Because strategically, it makes sense. Particularly, because we share this hemisphere.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett