Maria Corina Machado’s to visit Washington.US president also says he will meet oil executives at White House on Friday to discuss Venezuela’s oil industry.Nearly 20 oil executives, including veteran wildcatter Harold Hamm, are slated to meet President Donald Trump and top officials at the White House Friday as the administration pushes them to rebuild Venezuela’s battered energy sector. Trump to meet ‘BIG OIL’ today as he says he’s cancelled ‘second wave of attacks’We’ve heard from Donald Trump this morning about Venezuela.
The US president says he is meeting with “BIG OIL” at the White House today and that Venezuela is “releasing large numbers of political prisoners”.
Trump describes this as a “very important and smart gesture”.
Meanwhile, US seizes oil tanker that previously sailed from Venezuela
The US has seized another oil tanker.
Two US officials confirmed that the effort took place overnight and was conducted by the Coast Guard and Joint Task Force Southern Spear.
The ship had previously sailed from Venezuela, Reuters news agency adds.
The ship, named as the Olina tanker, is being seized near Trinidad and is the fifth such interdiction of ships in recent weeks.
The Olina, which according to public shipping database Equasis was falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste, had previously sailed from Venezuela and had returned to the region when it was seized on Friday, Reuters reports, citing a shipping source familiar with the matter. US confirms seizure of tanker in Caribbean
The US has confirmed it seized the Olina tanker overnight.
In a statement, US Southern Command says the action sent a clear message: “There is no safe haven for criminals.”
It adds:
“In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea without incident.”
