US President Donald Trump indicated this Thursday (8) that the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado, will visit Washington next week.
During an interview with Fox News’ “Hannity” program, Trump was asked if he planned to meet with Machado following the US attacks on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
“Well, I know she’s coming next week and I look forward to greeting her,” Trump responded.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the meeting.
This will be Trump’s first meeting with Machado, who said earlier this week that he has since won the Nobel Peace Prize in October.
The future of governance in the South American country remains uncertain. Over the weekend, Trump dismissed the idea of working with Machado, saying that .
Trump told Fox News that it will take time for the South American country, currently led by interim president Delcy Rodríguez, to reach a point where it can hold elections.
“We have to rebuild the country. They wouldn’t be able to hold elections […] They wouldn’t even know how to hold elections now,” he said.
Venezuela, a member of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), is one of the largest oil producers.
Its industry has become a focal point of the Trump administration, with a senior official telling Reuters that oil sales to the United States will begin immediately with an initial shipment of approximately 30 million to 50 million barrels and will continue indefinitely.
Trump said he will meet with oil sector executives at the White House this Friday (9). These oil companies, according to the president, will play a fundamental role in rebuilding Venezuela’s oil industry.
“They are going to rebuild the entire oil infrastructure. They are going to invest at least US$100 billion, and the oil they have is incredible, of unbelievable quality and quantity,” he said.
