President Donald Trump indicated on Sunday that he is open to meeting with Venezuela’s interim President, Delcy Rodriguez. Rodriguez assumed the role following the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the United States.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump stated, “Things are going well with Venezuela.” He added, “We’re working very well with the leadership.” When questioned specifically about meeting with Rodriguez, who previously served as Maduro’s Vice President, Trump responded, “At some point, I would.”
Rodriguez was sworn in as acting president on January 3rd following Maduro’s arrest. Since then, she has engaged in negotiations with Washington on several fronts. The US has long sought access to Venezuela’s substantial oil reserves.
In a televised address, Rodriguez pledged to secure the release of the Maduro family. However, she also condemned what she described as an American attack against her country, labeling it “a criminal act of aggression against the Venezuelan people,” according to the Venezuela Times.
Addressing a rally in Sucre, east of Caracas, Rodriguez reiterated her condemnation of the US action, stating that it “will be recorded in history as a stain on relations between the two countries.”
Her comments followed an executive order signed by President Trump, viewed as a move towards controlling future sales of Venezuelan oil and its revenues. The order declared a “national emergency” and aimed to prevent legal claims against those revenues.
According to a White House statement, the executive order seeks to protect Venezuelan oil revenues held in US Treasury accounts and prevent creditors from seizing them to settle debts or other legal claims.
Caracas has announced the start of an “exploratory process” aimed at resuming diplomatic relations with the United States, which have been severed since 2019, while affirming its commitment to national sovereignty. The future of US-Venezuelan relations remains uncertain. This situation is developing.
