By Hanika Kashyap
Donald Trump has claimed that he will not continue with a second wave of attacks on Venezuela on Friday, January 9. He reasoned his decision, saying that the country has been cooperating with the US on oil infrastructure and had released political prisoners.
The U.S. president called his decision an “important and smart gesture,” adding that the two countries are working well together. While Trump did not go into depth about the alleged plan for fresh attacks, he did emphasize that the naval armada would remain in the Caribbean, leaving Washington with the ability to attack at short notice. He also added that at least 100 billion dollars are to be invested by BIG OIL. Hence, he will be meeting American oil industry figures later on Friday at the While House.
Earlier, on Thursday, January 8, Trump announced his plans to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Marina Corina Machado. This comes amid the January 3 raid when Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured, with Trump threatening land strikes against drug cartels in Latin America.
Since the apprehension, the future of Venezuela’s governance has been shaky. However, Trump claimed over the weekend that he has no plans of joining hands with Machado as he believes she doesn’t have support or respect within the country. Despite his rigid claims, Trump is looking forward to saying “hello” to her. When asked if he would accept Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize, Trump confirmed that it would be a great honour for him.
During an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday, January 7, Trump stated that the U.S. has been getting along well with the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez. He added that the U.S. has been provided with whatever they feel is necessary.
Adding to the list of attacks by Trump, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro revealed in an interview with El País on Friday that during his one-hour call with the U.S. president, the latter had claimed to do “bad things” to Colombia. Overall, Petro claims that Trump is planning something like a military operation.
When asked if he believes something similar to what happened to Maduro would happen to him, Petro answered, “Undoubtedly,” if he doesn’t align with certain interests.