US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado is scheduled to visit Washington next week.
He made the revelation during an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” programme, when asked about meeting Machado in the wake of recent US military action in Venezuela that led to the capture of its former president, Nicolás Maduro.
“Well, I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her,” Trump said.
The White House did not offer an immediate comment or details on the planned meeting when contacted.
If the meeting takes place, it would mark the first direct engagement between Trump and Machado. Earlier this week, Machado said she had not communicated with the US president since she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October.
The political future of Venezuela remains uncertain. Last weekend, Trump appeared to dismiss the idea of collaborating with Machado, saying “she doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”
In his Fox News interview, Trump said Venezuela, now under the interim leadership of Delcy Rodríguez, will need time before it is ready to hold elections.
“We have to rebuild the country. They couldn’t have an election,” he said. “They wouldn’t even know how to have an election right now.”
Venezuela, a key OPEC member and major oil producer, has become a focus of the Trump administration.
A senior official told Reuters that US oil sales from Venezuela will start immediately, with an initial shipment of roughly 30 to 50 million barrels and plans to continue indefinitely.
Trump also said he will meet with oil company executives at the White House on Friday. He added that these firms are expected to play a major role in reconstructing Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.
“They’re going to rebuild the whole oil infrastructure. They’re going to spend at least $100 billion and it’s an unbelievable oil that they have, and an unbelievable quality of oil and amount of oil,” he said.
