State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela

President Donald Trump is calling for the country of Cuba to make a deal with the U.S. “before it is too late," as he attempts to maintain leverage in the region following the raid on Venezuela about a week ago.

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Trump posted to his social media platform.

The call comes after Trump has continued to threaten that the U.S. could take action against Cuba similar to that it took against Venezuela.

Trump had also levied threats against Colombia, but those have been toned down after the country’s president, Gustavo Petro, had a productive phone call with Trump and is set to visit the White House this week.

Trump also claimed on Sunday that most of the Cubans who provide security and intelligence services to Venezuela are “dead” from the United States’ attack to capture Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3.

“Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided “Security Services” for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE! Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last weeks U.S.A. attack,” Trump wrote.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the U.S. State Department's security alert is "based on fabricated accounts aimed at creating a perception of risk that does not exist."

The ministry said in a statement on social media late Saturday that Venezuela is "in absolute calm, peace, and stability," and that all weapons are in the government's control.

"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to the protection of peace, institutional stability, and the coexistence of the Venezuelan people," the statement said in Spanish.

The U.S. State Department had earlier warned U.S. citizens in Venezuela to leave immediately, saying in part that there were "of groups of armed militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States."

-ABC News' Anselm Gibbs

U.S. sanctions on Venezuela are under consideration to be lifted as soon as next week to facilitate oil sales, a senior U.S. official told ABC News Saturday.

The official said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has accepted meetings with the heads of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to discuss their re-engagement with Venezuela.

The official also confirmed roughly $5 billion worth of Venezuela's currently frozen IMF Special Drawing Rights monetary assets could be deployed to help rebuild the country's economy.

"The United States Treasury is fully committed to supporting President Trump's efforts on behalf of the people of Venezuela," a Treasury Department Spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.

Reuters was the first to report the plans, citing an interview with Bessent.

This comes after President Donald Trump gathered a group of top oil executives at the White House on Friday, aiming to strike a deal for them to invest billions to rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry.  

-ABC News' Selina Wang

The State Department warned U.S. citizens in Venezuela Saturday to leave immediately

"There are reports of groups of armed militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States. Remain vigilant and exercise caution when traveling by road," the agency said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy in Colombia issued a more detailed alert reaffirming that the U.S. has a Level Four "do not travel warning" for Venezuela, urging U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez