Sao Paulo — U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters last week that he would visit Venezuela as relations between the two countries “improve.”
The announcement comes about a month after Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were arrested and flown to New York during a U.S. special forces operation.
President Trump said, “I plan to visit Venezuela soon,” without giving details. When asked when he would visit, he said, “I haven’t decided yet.”
The Republican president also noted that he has a “very good relationship” with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, and that they have been working together.
“We have a very good relationship with the President of Venezuela. As you know, we work very closely together,” he said.
Asked by another reporter whether the United States would formally recognize Rodriguez’s government, Trump responded that the United States was “doing business with them” but that for now “she’s done a great job.”
Rodriguez served as Vice President and Foreign Minister of the Maduro regime. Since Maduro’s arrest, Washington has been negotiating directly with Maduro’s ‘interim’ administration.
“Drain the oil”
Trump also mentioned Venezuela’s oil sector. After Maduro’s arrest, the US president made it clear that US private companies would benefit from the world’s largest oil reserves.
“The big oil companies will step in, take the oil out, sell it for a lot of money, and Venezuela will get a big chunk of that money,” he told reporters.
“Right now, I would say our relationship with Venezuela is at a 10.”
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also shared general licenses related to Venezuela’s oil and gas sector on Friday.
The companies BP PLC, Chevron, Eni, Repsol and Shell are among those granted permission to explore commodities in the region so far.
Featured image: US President Donald Trump. Credit: White House
