US President Donald Trump held a "very good call" with Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Wednesday, the first known contact between them since the ouster of Nicolas Maduro.
Both leaders spoke highly of the phone call, which came as Rodriguez declared on the same day her country was entering into a new era, in her first press conference since taking control of Venezuela.
Rodriguez was Maduro's vice president since 2018 and was sharply critical of his capture by US forces on January 3, when he was kidnapped amid US strikes on the country, then brought to the US to face trial. However, she has since expressed a willingness to work alongside the Trump administration.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he had a "great conversation" with Rodriguez, whom he hailed as a "terrific person."
"We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover." Trump later wrote on his Truth Social platform, saying the pair discussed topics ranging from oil to minerals, trade and national security.
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"This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL," Trump wrote. "Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!"
Rodriguez also spoke positively of the call.
"I had a long, productive, and courteous telephone conversation with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, conducted in a framework of mutual respect," she wrote on Telegram.
The interim president is walking a tightrope, as she tries to restart cordial ties with the US and ward off threats of more strikes on the country, while also appeasing Maduro loyalists in top positions, including the security apparatus and the intelligence services.
On Wednesday, Rodriguez declared that Venezuela was entering a new era of greater tolerance toward political rivals, as she addressed her first press conference as leader.
It comes as Venezuela continues to release political prisoners, both from Venezuela as well as foreigners including from the United States, a measure Rodriguez credited the ousted Maduro with.
The jailed leader, meanwhile, called on Venezuelans to "trust Delcy and her team," according to a message delivered by his son, Nicolas Maduro Guerra.
Curated by Fatima Al-Hassan
