Trump says the US gets along well with Venezuela and plans to resume flights to the Latin country

US President Donald Trump stated this Thursday (29), during a cabinet meeting, that the American government “is getting along very well with Venezuela and with Venezuelan leaders”, in yet another sign of an attempt to reconfigure the bilateral relationship after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the installation of an interim government in Caracas.

Trump said that oil companies “will bring a lot of wealth to the US and Venezuela” and stated that Washington intends to soon allow the resumption of commercial airspace between the two countries. According to him, “Americans will soon be able to travel to Venezuela safely”, without detailing deadlines or conditions.

The statements contrast with the tone recently adopted by Venezuelan authorities. On Sunday (25), the interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, stated that she was “fed up” with the orders coming from Washington and said that the country’s politics must be resolved internally, “without foreign powers”. After Maduro’s overthrow, Trump announced that the interim government would be under American supervision and that the US would control Venezuelan oil. At the time, the Republican stated that he had spoken with Rodríguez and that “we are getting along very well with Venezuela.”

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On Wednesday (28), the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, defended in the Senate the military operation that led to Maduro’s deposition, stating that the action eliminated a threat to US national security and reiterating that the government will work with the interim authorities to stabilize the country. According to Rubio, Washington will allow Venezuela to sell oil again under sanctions, with funds deposited in an account controlled by the US Treasury to pay for basic services.

Shutdown

At the same cabinet meeting, Trump commented on the fiscal impasse in Washington and said he hoped there would not be a new federal government shutdown. “I hope we don’t have a shutdown. We are working on it now with the Democrats,” he said.