"The acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, on Thursday welcomed the statements by her US counterpart about being a 'friend and partner' of Venezuela and called for an end to the economic blockade and sanctions against the country during an event with youths in Caracas. Rodriguez welcomed the recent statements by Donald Trump during the State of the Union Address 2026 in Washington DC, where he spoke about the energy situation and relations with Venezuela, mentioning that the US had received more than 80 million barrels of oil from 'our new friend and partner, Venezuela'. "President Trump yesterday said that he was a friend and partner of Venezuela, and I celebrate and welcome that concept of Venezuela, because Venezuela has never been an enemy country of the United States," Rodriguez noted. She also stressed that her government is willing to open 'a new agenda of cooperation' with the US to overcome years of tensions and economic sanctions, which, according to Caracas, have seriously affected the Venezuelan population, especially the country's youths and workers. "President Trump, as a friend, as a partner, we are opening a new agenda of cooperation with the United States: end the sanctions now and end the blockade against our homeland, because this blockade is also against Venezuelan youth," Rodriguez said. Finally, she emphasised that the lifting of sanctions and the economic blockade by the US would not only benefit the national economy but would also allow new generations of Venezuelans to develop their potential."