The US president also said he will meet with oil officials at the White House on Friday to discuss Venezuela’s oil industry.
United States President Donald Trump has called off a second wave of strikes on Venezuela after receiving “cooperation” from the South American nation.
The president said Friday that Venezuela is leaving en masse political prisoners Following last week’s US military operation to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro, as a sign of “seeking peace”.
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“This is a very important and smart gesture. The USA and Venezuela are working well together, especially as they relate to rebuilding their oil and gas infrastructure, their oil and gas infrastructure,” Truth said on social media.
“With this cooperation, I have canceled the previously anticipated second wave of attacks, which will not be needed, however, all ships will remain in place for safety and security purposes,” his post added.
Trump’s comments came hours after the Venezuelan opposition leader gave an interview on Fox News’ Hannity program. Maria Corina Machado She was coming to Washington the following week after dismissing the idea of working with her, saying she had “no domestic support or respect.”
The Republican president, however, told the New York Times on Wednesday that the US is “adjusting well” to Venezuela’s government, led by interim president Delsey Rodriguez.
During the Fox interview, Trump also said he would meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday and that oil companies would spend at least $100bn in Venezuela, which he repeated in his Truth Social post.
“At least $100 billion will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at the White House,” Trump wrote on his social media platform ahead of the gathering, where he hoped to convince oil majors to support his plans in Venezuela.
The Trump administration has repeatedly said it is running Venezuela, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright asserting on Wednesday that Washington will control the country’s oil industry “indefinitely.”
Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s deputy, has said her government remains in charge, with the state oil company saying only that it is negotiating with the United States over oil sales.
US outlet NBC News reported that the heads of Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips are expected at the White House meeting.
“This is just a meeting to discuss, of course, the enormous opportunities these oil companies have right now,” Trump spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt told reporters Wednesday.
Chevron is the only US company currently licensed to operate in Venezuela. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips left the country in 2007, after then-President Hugo Chávez rejected demands for the government to give up a majority stake in local operations.
Sanctioned by Washington since 2019, Venezuela holds a fifth of the world’s oil reserves and was once a major supplier of crude to the United States.
But only 1 percent of the world’s total crude output was produced in 2024, according to OPEC, hampered by years of underinvestment, sanctions and sanctions.
Trump sees the country’s huge oil reserves as a key political issue in his fight to further lower US domestic fuel prices.
But uncertainty over a post-Maduro regime, security and the huge cost of restoring production facilities could face a difficult task in convincing major US oil companies to invest in Venezuela.