Erik Schatzker, Bloomberg New Economy Editorial Director, discusses the latest on US-Venezuela relations and takeaways from his 2021 interview with now ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
US President Donald Trump said a second wave of attacks on Venezuela has been canceled, citing improved cooperation from the country after some political prisoners were released.
Venezuela is “working well” with the US on rebuilding its oil and gas infrastructure and releasing “large numbers” of political prisoners, Trump wrote in a social-media post Friday. That means another wave of strikes doesn’t appear necessary, he said.
Meanwhile, the US continues to have its military in position for further action in the region after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last week. The US Coast Guard boarded another oil tanker on Friday.
Thus far, activists have confirmed only 11 freed prisoners in Venezuela, though families have been waiting throughout the night in Caracas for further word. Trump’s focus on jailed activists and foreigners in Venezuela is a nod to the country’s political opposition, which was sidelined when the US opted to work with current members of the regime following the removal of Maduro.
Brent futures pared gains on the president’s statement, trading at $62.16 a barrel as of 10:15 a.m. in London. Trump is meeting with US oil executives later as his administration pushes them to rebuild Venezuela’s energy sector.
Biagio Pilieri, an aide to opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado, was released from the infamous Helicoide prison in Caracas late Thursday, according to Foro Penal, an advocacy group. Jorge Rodríguez, head of the National Assembly, said that a significant number of prisoners would be released, and five Spanish citizens were freed earlier in the day.
Trump told Fox News Thursday that he plans to meet with Machado next week, in another gesture of recognition toward the opposition. Last weekend he said she wasn’t the right choice to lead Venezuela because she doesn’t have the “respect” of its people, but Machado has maintained her support for the US president and has offered to give him her Nobel Peace Prize, an award he’s long coveted.
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