Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday that he has accepted a proposal to restart direct talks with the United States.

"Next Wednesday, talks will restart with the US government so that they comply with the agreements signed in Qatar," Maduro said on his program aired every Monday on official TV station Venezolana de Television.

Maduro claimed that Washington had initiated the proposal and that Caracas had agreed to it after two months of careful consideration.

Last year, the United States and Venezuela launched secret negotiations in Qatar. Ultimately, they agreed to a sweeping prisoner swap deal brokered by the Gulf state.

Washington released Maduro ally Alex Saab, who had been accused by the United States of money laundering for Caracas.

In return, Venezuela handed over a fugitive named Leonard Francis, who was at the center of the US Navy's worst-ever corruption scandal, freed 20 Venezuelan political prisoners and released 10 US detainees.

The United States also had suspended some sanctions after Maduro's government and the opposition agreed in Barbados last October to hold a free and fair vote in 2024 under the watchful eye of international observers.

But the thaw ended when Maduro's opponents were not allowed to run against him in elections, and the sanctions were snapped back in place in April.

"We're going to debate and find new agreements so that everything is respected, (especially) what we signed in Qatar" in September, Maduro said.

The Venezuelan leader said he hoped for "dialogue, understanding, a future for our relationship."

The US State Department declined comment when asked by AFP about Maduro's comments.

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