Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has pledged to continue releasing prisoners detained under Nicolás Maduro’s presidency and described her first phone call with U.S.
President Donald Trump since Maduro’s abduction by U.S. forces as positive.
Rodríguez, a former vice president under Maduro, said on Wednesday that she had a long, productive and courteous conversation with Trump, during which they discussed a bilateral agenda aimed at benefiting both countries.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the talks covered oil, minerals, trade and national security, adding that a future partnership between the United States and Venezuela would be “spectacular.”
“I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela,” Trump said at the White House after the call. He described Rodríguez as a “terrific person” and noted that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also been in contact with her.
Trump’s remarks came after President Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, were abducted by U.S. forces during an attack on Caracas on January 3. Both are currently being held in custody in the United States.
Last week, Trump said a second wave of U.S. attacks on Venezuela had been called off due to “cooperation” from leaders in Caracas, including the release of a large number of prisoners as a sign of a willingness to seek peace with Washington.
Earlier on Wednesday, during her first media briefing since Maduro’s abduction, Rodríguez said Venezuela was entering a “new political moment” and stressed that the process of releasing detainees was still ongoing.
“This opportunity is for Venezuela and for the Venezuelan people to witness a new moment one of coexistence, mutual recognition and the ability to build a new spirit,” she said.
Standing alongside her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, the acting president also pledged strict enforcement of the law and credited Maduro with initiating the prisoner release process.
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