According to Xinhua News Agency, US President Trump said on the 9th that he had canceled the previously planned second wave of military strikes against Venezuela.
Trump posted on his self-created social media platform Truth Social on Friday, saying that Venezuela had released a “significant number of political prisoners,” calling it a “very important and wise gesture.”
Trump wrote: “This is a very important and wise gesture. The United States has worked very well with Venezuela, especially in rebuilding its oil and gas infrastructure in a larger, better, and more modern way.”
He added, "Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously anticipated second wave of attacks, which appears to be no longer necessary. However, for security and safety reasons, all ships will remain in place."
The United States launched a military operation against Venezuela over the weekend, arresting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Both had previously been charged with drug trafficking and pleaded not guilty.
Maduro claimed during his court appearance in New York this week that he was "kidnapped" and identified himself as "a prisoner of war."
On Thursday, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced that the government would release a large number of foreign and Venezuelan prisoners. Subsequently, Spanish Foreign Minister Álvarez stated that five Spanish prisoners had been released and were on a flight back to their country.
Since Maduro's arrest, Trump has turned his attention to the energy sector of the oil-rich nation. Shortly after the military operation concluded, he stated that he had begun discussions with several oil giants regarding the reconstruction of Venezuela's oil infrastructure.
In a post on Friday, Trump said that major oil companies would invest at least $100 billion in Venezuela and that he would meet with representatives of the U.S. oil giants at the White House later that day.
Currently, Chevron is the only major U.S. oil company still operating in Venezuela. Most major U.S. oil companies have remained silent so far regarding Trump's calls for their involvement in rebuilding the country's energy system.
According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Venezuela has the world's largest proven crude oil reserves, approximately 303 billion barrels, accounting for about 17% of the world's total oil reserves.
However, despite its vast reserves, Venezuela's current crude oil production accounts for less than 1% of global supply. Corruption, mismanagement, and U.S. economic sanctions have caused the country's production to plummet from 3.5 million barrels per day in 1999 to approximately 1.1 million barrels per day today.
