Trump says he halted second wave of Venezuela strikes after signs of cooperation

United States President Donald Trump says he cancelled a planned second wave of military attacks on Venezuela after what he described as cooperation from Caracas, including the release of political prisoners.

In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump said the Venezuelan government was freeing a large number of detainees as a gesture of “seeking peace”, following last week’s US operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“This is a very important and smart gesture. The USA and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure,” Trump wrote. “Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purpose,” he added.

Trump’s remarks came just hours after he told Fox News’s Hannity programme that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado would be travelling to Washington next week. The comment marked a shift in tone after Trump had previously dismissed her, saying she lacked support and respect inside Venezuela.

Earlier this week, Trump also told The New York Times that the US was “getting along very well” with Venezuela’s current leadership under acting interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

During the Fox interview, Trump said he would meet senior oil executives at the White House on Friday and claimed the companies would invest at least $100bn in Venezuela, a figure he later repeated online.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump wrote, ahead of what aides described as an effort to secure industry backing for his Venezuela plans.

The Trump administration has repeatedly said it is effectively running Venezuela. On Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Washington would control the country’s oil industry “indefinitely”.

Rodriguez has pushed back against that characterisation, insisting her government remains in charge. Venezuela’s state oil company has said only that it is in talks with the US over oil sales.

NBC News reported that the heads of Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips were expected to attend Friday’s White House meeting.

“It’s just a meeting to discuss, obviously, the immense opportunity that is before these oil companies right now,” Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Chevron is currently the only US firm licensed to operate in Venezuela. Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips exited the country in 2007 after rejecting demands from then-President Hugo Chavez to hand majority control of their local operations to the state.

Under US sanctions since 2019, Venezuela holds roughly a fifth of the world’s proven oil reserves and was once a major crude supplier to the United States. But years of sanctions, embargoes and underinvestment have slashed production. According to OPEC, the country accounted for just about 1 percent of global crude output in 2024.

Trump has made clear he sees Venezuela’s vast reserves as a strategic prize, particularly as he seeks to push US fuel prices lower, a key domestic political priority.