Trump Calls Venezuelan Government an Ally of the US

The U.S. President, Donald Trump, stated this Friday that the government of Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, for now seems to be "an ally" of Washington and will probably "continue to be one." In this sense, the Trump Administration has opted to discard the main leaders of the Venezuelan opposition to lead the transition in the South American country and has considered that it will be the chavist Rodríguez's government that, under Washington's direct management, will be in charge of Venezuela. "We don't want China to be there (in Venezuela)", declared Trump when asked about the relationship with Caracas during a meeting with oil company executives to discuss the reconstruction of Venezuela's crude oil industry. He also said that the U.S. will capture the revenues before transferring them to Venezuela, following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last Saturday by U.S. forces. "We are getting along extremely well with the people of Venezuela, both with the general population and with those who govern the country", added the president. Furthermore, Trump warned that if Washington had not taken control of Venezuelan crude, Moscow and Beijing would have done so sooner. The White House and Caracas have agreed for now to sell about 30-50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, and the U.S. will capture the revenues. "They didn't want to go through a second wave", he added in reference to a potential new incursion into Venezuela, which the American had already dismissed hours before. "And we don't want Russia to be there". The Republican considered that the authorities of the Caribbean country had done "the right thing" by cooperating with the U.S. "At this moment they seem to be an ally, and I think they will continue to be one." "They were smart."