US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has called off a planned second wave of attacks on Venezuela following the release of political prisoners by the interim government. The move comes as Trump prepares to meet major oil corporations poised to invest at least $100 billion in the country, which holds the world’s largest oil reserves.
Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that Venezuela’s release of prisoners was a gesture of “seeking peace,” prompting him to cancel the anticipated attacks. The US also seized another oil tanker near Venezuela on Friday as part of its ongoing embargo, reinforcing Washington’s control over the country’s key export.
Venezuela began freeing prisoners on Thursday in the first such gesture since US forces removed President Nicolas Maduro in a January 3 raid. Among those released was former opposition candidate Enrique Marquez, who opposed Maduro in the contested 2024 presidential election. Marquez said in a video that the ordeal was “all over now.”
Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez’s administration claimed the releases were aimed at promoting “peaceful coexistence.” Spanish authorities confirmed that five Spanish citizens, including activist Rocio San Miguel, were freed. Rights group Foro Penal estimates that over 800 political prisoners remain jailed in Venezuela.
Despite the prisoner release, Venezuela insists it is not “subordinate or subjugated.” Maduro, seized during the US raid, remains in New York facing drug-related charges. Rodriguez stated that Venezuelans fought “for the homeland” during the operation. Trump, meanwhile, plans to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado next week and has unveiled a plan to sell 30–50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, with proceeds funding US-made products.