On Thursday, January 29, President Trump stated during the first cabinet meeting of 2026 that he had informed the Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, that the United States would open Venezuelan commercial airspace. American citizens will soon be able to travel to Venezuela.
“I have just had a conversation with the (acting) president of Venezuela, and I informed her that we will open all commercial airspace over Venezuela,” Trump told the cabinet members present at the meeting. “American citizens will soon be able to travel to Venezuela, and they will be safe there.”
Trump also mentioned that major U.S. oil companies would be going to Venezuela to conduct project assessments. “We now have large oil companies heading to Venezuela to conduct surveys and select project locations,” the president said.
Secretary of State Pompeo stated during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting on Wednesday that the United States hopes for Venezuela to enter a transition phase, ultimately achieving a friendly, stable, prosperous, and democratic Venezuela, where all sectors of society are represented in free and fair elections.
Relations between the U.S. and Venezuela have been increasingly tense since the capture of Maduro. President Trump posted on his social media platform “Truth Social” on November 29, 2025, stating that all airlines and pilots should consider Venezuelan airspace and surrounding airspace as completely closed.
This move was aimed at increasing pressure on then Venezuelan President Maduro. On January 3, the U.S. launched a military attack on Venezuela, capturing Maduro. Subsequently, the Trump administration made contact with the acting Venezuelan president Rodriguez, leading to the release of political prisoners by Venezuelan authorities. Trump stated that due to Rodriguez’s cooperation, he had canceled the planned second strike against Venezuela.