President Donald Trump said earlier today that he had canceled a “previously expected” second wave of attacks on Venezuela due to the country’s cooperation with the United States.
It comes nearly a week after he ordered a military operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is currently in US custody along with his wife Cilia Flores.
Shortly after that military operation, Trump said in a news conference, “We are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so. … We actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but now it’s probably not.”
In Friday’s Truth Social post, Trump said the US 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.”
“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 purposes,” he added.
Trump went on to say that Venezuela was “releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace,’” adding, “This is a very important and smart gesture.”
Venezuela began releasing the high-profile prisoners on Thursday, including opposition politicians in an effort to “seek peace,” the acting government said.