Venezuela’s new leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has agreed to negotiate oil sales with Washington. Venezuela said on Friday it had launched talks with the United States on restoring diplomatic ties, days after US forces deposed Nicolas Maduro as its president. It was the latest sign of cooperation following the leftist leader’s capture and US President Donald Trump’s claim to be “in charge” of the South American country.
Officials said US diplomats were in Caracas to discuss reopening the country’s embassy, while in Washington, Trump met with oil companies over his plans to access Venezuela’s huge crude reserves. The government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez “has decided to initiate an exploratory diplomatic process with the government of the United States of America, aimed at re-establishing diplomatic missions in both countries,” Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a statement. John McNamara, the top US diplomat in neighboring Colombia, and other personnel “traveled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations,” a US official said on customary condition of anonymity.
Rodriguez, in a statement, condemned “the serious, criminal, illegal and illegitimate attack” by the United States and vowed: “Venezuela will continue to confront this aggression through the diplomatic route.” Trump said earlier, Friday that he had called off a second wave of attacks on Venezuela due to the prisoner releases. The US president had suggested he might use force again to get his way in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves. At a White House meeting on Friday, he pressed top oil executives to invest in Venezuela’s reserves, but was met with a cautious reception – with ExxonMobil chief executive Darren Woods dismissing the country as “uninvestable” without sweeping reforms.
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Trump said foreign firms had enjoyed no meaningful protections under Maduro, “but now you have total security. It’s a whole different Venezuela.”
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