President Donald Trump revealed on social media early Friday that he called off a “second wave of attacks” on Venezuela, a week after U.S. forces captured and arrested the nation’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
Trump’s announcement came a day after Venezuela began releasing hundreds of political prisoners from custody. According to the U.S. State Department, Maduro’s government passed laws making it illegal to insult the president and placed limits on free speech.
Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are being tried in U.S. federal court. Maduro is facing various drug and weapon trafficking charges.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced that Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, had agreed to allow the United States to export up to 50 million barrels of oil. Trump said early Friday that oil companies plan to invest over $100 billion in Venezuela.
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Trump maintains that the United States is “running” Venezuela. The U.S. has stationed ships in the region, and Trump said that, despite calling off a second wave of attacks, the vessels will remain in the area “for safety and security purposes.”
“The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure,” Trump said.
Later Friday, Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House. Representatives from Exxon, Chevron, Marathon and Shell are among those expected to meet with Trump Friday.
"The American people, energy companies, and the Venezuelan people will all greatly benefit from these new, unprecedented investments in Venezuela’s oil infrastructure thanks to President Trump," said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman.
On Thursday, Trump faced a rebuke from the Senate as five Republicans joined Democrats in supporting a measure that would limit the president’s ability to strike Venezuela without congressional approval. That measure, however, is unlikely to advance.
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