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Relationship dossier

United Kingdom Venezuela

Relationship assessment

Political recognition disputes, sanctions and a prolonged gold dispute have strained UK–Venezuela relations.

United Kingdom toward Venezuela

-40

The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials and, during the 2019 political crisis, recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president rather than Nicolás Maduro. The UK’s position on Venezuelan gold held at the Bank of England has also been contested in litigation.

Venezuela toward United Kingdom

-30

Venezuela’s central bank pursued litigation to recover Venezuelan gold held at the Bank of England, making the dispute a prominent source of friction with the United Kingdom. Venezuelan governments have also objected to British sanctions and recognition of the opposition during the 2019 crisis.

Overall relationship

-35

The relationship has been shaped by a sharp disagreement over Venezuela’s political leadership, UK sanctions and the contested Venezuelan gold held in London. These sustained political and legal disputes outweigh the limited information available about other bilateral cooperation.

How to read these scores

Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.

−100
Extreme sustained hostility
−50
Substantially adversarial
0
Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
+50
Substantially cooperative
+100
Exceptionally close sustained partnership

“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.

Relationship context

Knowledge coverageLimited

Overview

Relations have been strained by the United Kingdom’s sanctions on Venezuelan officials and its recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president during the 2019 political crisis. A further major dispute concerns Venezuelan gold held at the Bank of England, which Venezuela’s central bank has sought to recover through litigation. These issues have driven substantial diplomatic and legal friction, though the extent of broader government cooperation is unclear.

Areas of tension

Key developments

Major uncertainties

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