Citing prisoner releases, Trump halts Venezuela attacks, plans to meet with Machado
Citing improving cooperation with Caracas and the release of political prisoners, President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States has paused further attacks on Venezuela and that major American oil companies are preparing to invest at least $100 billion in the country’s oil and gas sector.
The announcement came in a post on Trump’s Truth Social account, hours after he told Fox News that he plans to meet next week with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
In the social media post, Trump described Venezuela’s release of detainees as a sign the country is “seeking peace,” calling it a “very important and smart gesture.” He said the cooperation had made a previously expected second wave of U.S. attacks unnecessary, though American ships would remain deployed “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 wrote.
Trump said at least $100 billion would be invested by major oil companies and that he was scheduled to meet with energy executives at the White House on Friday.
His comments come amid signs that the socialist regime in Caracas — now led by interim President Delcy Rodríguez — has been slow to follow through on the prisoner releases it announced. Fewer than a dozen detainees have been freed so far, according to opposition figures, far short of the more than 400 they say were expected.
Speaking later in an interview on Fox News’ Hannity, Trump said he would meet next week with Machado and that he would accept the award she has said she wants to share with him.
Machado, Venezuela’s most prominent opposition figure, was named a Nobel laureate in October but has not spoken directly with Trump since then, according to people familiar with the matter. She went into hiding in Venezuela during the final days of former President Nicolás Maduro’s rule and later surfaced in Oslo, where her daughter accepted the prize on her behalf. Machado has vowed to return to Venezuela and has called for elections to replace Maduro.
Trump has openly lobbied for the Nobel Peace Prize, arguing that his actions have helped resolve multiple international conflicts, claims that have drawn public backing from several world leaders.
The White House did not immediately provide details on the scope or timing of the proposed oil investments. Venezuelan authorities have not publicly confirmed how many political prisoners have been released or commented on Trump’s remarks.
A Miami Herald correspondent in Venezuela contributed to this report.
