Venezuela to send envoy to Washington

WASHINGTON -- Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez is planning to send an envoy to Washington this week as the Trump administration is weighing the possibility of reopening its embassy in the oil-rich South American nation, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Felix Plasencia, Venezuelan ambassador to Britain and former foreign minister, is planning to meet US senior officials in Washington at Rodriguez's behest, said the report, citing people familiar with the plans.

Maria Corina Machado, one of Venezuela's major opposition figures, is expected to visit the White House.

A spokesperson for the US State Department said Friday that personnel from the department's Colombia-based Venezuela Affairs Unit will "conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations" in Venezuela, where the US embassy was closed in 2019 with all embassy staff withdrawn.

On Friday morning, US President Donald Trump praised cooperation from the Venezuelan acting president, announcing that a second US strike against Venezuela "will not be needed."