Washington DC, January 9
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has cancelled a previously expected second wave of military attacks on Venezuela, following his military action in Caracas which led to the capture of the South American country's leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, citing improved cooperation from Caracas and the release of a large number of political prisoners as part of efforts to 'seek peace'.
In a post on Truth Social, the US President said that the decision to call off further strikes comes as relations between Washington and Caracas enter a phase of cooperation, particularly on rebuilding and modernising Venezuela's oil and gas infrastructure, which Trump had previously stated following the first wave of attack on Saturday.
He described the Venezuelan prisoner releases as a "very important and smart gesture".
However, Trump noted that the US military units in the region will remain on alert even though the new round of offensive operations is no longer expected.
"Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of "Seeking Peace." This is a very important and smart gesture. 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. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled 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," his post read.
Trump, in his post, further highlighted plans for significant investment in Venezuela's energy sector, saying that at least USD 100 billion will be invested by major oil companies, and noting his intention to meet with top executives at the White House to discuss these plans.
"At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House," his post added.
The move comes almost a week after the US launched a "large-scale strike" in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Saturday and captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Maduro and Flores were flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement.
They were indicted on charges of alleged "drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies" in the Southern District of New York and are currently facing trial.
Earlier, Venezuela's interim President, Delcy Rodriguez, who was the Vice-President under Maduro, stated that relations with the US have suffered an unprecedented "stain," even as she asserted that the country will continue pursuing a diversified economic strategy engaging major markets across all continents, El Cooperante reported.
Speaking during a live broadcast on state television VTV, Rodriguez said the US has adopted a policy of "exclusion" toward Venezuela, while emphasising that economic and trade ties between the two countries are neither unusual nor disproportionate.
Despite this, Rodriguez said both the public and private sectors would have access to global markets, underlining Venezuela's openness to international cooperation.
Meanwhile, Trump has said that Venezuela would use revenue from a new oil agreement to purchase goods made exclusively in the US, noting that Caracas is "committed" to doing business with the US as its main partner, calling the move a "wise and very beneficial" decision for both countries.
- ANI
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