President Trump said Friday morning that he canceled an expected second wave of attacks in Venezuela after the South American country confirmed the release of a large number of political prisoners.
In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Venezuela was releasing political prisoners as a sign of “seeking peace,” calling it “a very important and smart gesture.”
“Because of this cooperation, I have canceled the previously expected second wave of attacks, which looks like it will not be needed. However, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes,” the post said.
Despite the decision, Trump clarified that U.S. ships would remain in position.
The president also said the United States and Venezuela are working together to rebuild oil and gas infrastructure.
Trump added that “at least $100 billion will be invested by Big Oil,” noting that he planned to meet with energy executives at the White House later Friday.
Exclusive interview with NBC News
Earlier this week, in an exclusive interview with NBC News, Trump discussed the path forward in Venezuela, including the timing of potential elections, opportunities for oil companies and Congress’ role.
“We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote,” Trump said when asked about the possibility of a vote in the next month. “No, it’s going to take a period of time. We have — we have to nurse the country back to health.”
Trump also said the U.S. may subsidize an effort by oil companies to rebuild Venezuela’s energy infrastructure — a project he said could take less than 18 months.
“I think we can do it in less time than that, but it’ll be a lot of money,” he said. “A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.”
He also insisted the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela.
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