Then on January 3, US special forces detained Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a daring raid, bringing them to the United States to stand trial on criminal charges.

“Let the blockade and sanctions against Venezuela end now,” interim leader Delcy Rodriguez said in a speech on state television. “President Trump, as friends, as partners, we are opening a new agenda of cooperation with the United States.”

Since Maduro was removed from power, Rodriguez — his onetime vice president — has worked closely with the United States, and passed an amnesty law to help accelerate the thaw in Venezuela’s ties with the broader West.

She has received the new US chief of mission in Caracas, the head of the CIA and the chief of the US military command responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The US Treasury has eased a seven-year-old oil embargo on Venezuela, as part of Washington’s bid to boost oil production in the country with the world’s largest proven reserves of crude.

In recent weeks, it has issued licenses allowing a handful of multinationals to operate in Venezuela under certain conditions.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump said the United States had received more than 80 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, “our new friend and partner.”

Under pressure from Washington, Rodriguez pushed through a major reform of the country’s hydrocarbon laws, opening up the sector to private and foreign investment.

bc-esp/sst/ksb