The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated on Wednesday at the White House that his administration is helping Venezuelans "become rich again," while defending Washington's policy towards Venezuela, highlighting the entry of oil companies, and noting the resumption of direct flights between the two countries.
The statements were released by the Department of State during a press briefing by Trump, in which the president compared the U.S. operation in Venezuela to much longer military conflicts and reiterated the capture of Nicolás Maduro that took place in January.
"In our war with Venezuela, we lost zero soldiers," he asserted, and claimed that the mission was completed in "148 minutes" with a contingent of 201 personnel.
“We are helping people become rich again,” said Trump referring to Venezuela.
In addition, he presented the outcome as a sign of improvement for Venezuelans. "The country is coming back, and people have a smile on their faces," he assured.
He added that "the major oil companies are coming in" and assured that the country "is coming back" and that "the money is coming in."
Trump linked that recovery to the new energy relationship between Washington and Caracas.
At the end of August, the White House announced an oil deal that grants a private company rights over 17 Venezuelan fields and which, according to the administration, involves more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves.
The agreement has also reconfigured the political relationship between both countries.
In early September, the White House released details of the oil agreement reached with Venezuela, while days later Marco Rubio argued that the South American country would be "much better" economically linked to the United States than to China, Russia, or Iran.
The president also used his speech to highlight the partial normalization of relations between the two countries.
"Now we have flights coming into Venezuela," he said, before mentioning Doral in South Florida, which he described as "Little Venezuela" due to its large Venezuelan community.
Direct flights between the United States and Venezuela resumed this year.
The Trump administration officially announced in May the reopening of those connections, while the president had previously announced the restoration of direct flights between Miami and Caracas.
In September, American Airlines resumed the Miami-Caracas route after a temporary halt caused by the earthquakes that affected Venezuela during the summer.
The Trump administration simultaneously maintains a strong influence over strategic sectors of the Venezuelan economy.
This week, the Department of the Treasury updated three licenses that regulate operations in the oil, gas, petrochemical, and electricity sectors in Venezuela, within the new economic framework between Washington and Caracas.
This approach has also been reflected in the political arena. Last week, Delcy Rodríguez described a meeting with Trump as "historic", amidst a bilateral relationship marked by the oil agreement and the U.S. promise to promote stability, economic recovery, and a potential political transition in Venezuela.
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