AMNA NAWAZ: Today, the Venezuelan government vowed to release political and foreign prisoners who have been held by the regime long before U.S.

forces seized President Nicolas Maduro last weekend.

That release has been a longstanding demand of the Venezuelan opposition.

GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, Venezuela's neighbor Colombia, a major non-NATO ally of the U.S., appears to be off the president's sights after a single phone call last night.

Nick Schifrin has our story.

NICK SCHIFRIN: On Venezuelan TV today, what the government called a gesture of peace, a promise to release political and foreign prisoners, an effort by Maduro's former deputies to convince the world they will not continue the policies of the now ousted dictator.

JORGE RODRIGUEZ, President, Venezuelan National Assembly (through translator): Consider this as the contribution that we must all make to ensure that our republic continues its peaceful life and pursuit of prosperity.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Human rights groups estimate up to 900 political prisoners are held in Venezuela, many detained following the 2024 election, that the U.S.

and international observers say was won by the opposition.

Recently, those opposition leaders have demanded the prisoners' release.

The U.S.

today continue to demand cooperation.

J.D.

VANCE, Vice President of the United States: I'm chairing the meeting that we do on this among White House principals to talk about next steps to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable and, as the president has directed us to do, to ensure that the new Venezuelan government actually listens to the United States and does what the United States needs it to do under our country's best interests.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And, today, Venezuela was not the only government trying to fulfill U.S.

interests.

For months, the president has issued verbal attacks... DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: Colombia is out of control, and now they have the worst president they have ever had.

NICK SCHIFRIN: ... and threats at Colombian President Gustavo Petro: DONALD TRUMP: He better wise up or he will be next.

He will be next too.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Culminating on Sunday with an endorsement of military action.

DONALD TRUMP: He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories.

He's not going to be doing it very long.

QUESTION: So there will be an operation by the U.S.?

DONALD TRUMP: It sounds good to me.

NICK SCHIFRIN: For his part, Petro has been among the president's most vocal critics.

GUSTAVO PETRO, Colombian President (through translator): We must respond, as humanity has already done, by standing firm and taking to the streets to defend people's rights, the rights of democracy not to be governed by tyrannies.

NICK SCHIFRIN: On social media, Petro called Trump's comments illegitimate threats and likened his actions to Hitler's.

But then came a phone call last night and, just minutes later, Petro flipped the script, literally.

GUSTAVO PETRO (through translator): I had a speech prepared for today.

Now I have to give another.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Expressing hopes to continue dialogue and cooperation on clean energy.

The president agreed, writing the conversation was -- quote -- "a great honor" and that Petro has accepted an invitation to meet in Washington in the future.

It is a rapid, remarkable reversal and reminder of how much the president's international relations is about personal relations, a lesson that Brazilian President Lula Inacio da Silva learned after a chance meeting.

DONALD TRUMP: I was walking up to my teleprompter.

I said, I don't have a teleprompter.

But just before that, I met with President Lula, and I found him to be very good.

KEVIN WHITAKER, Former U.S.

Ambassador to Colombia: His personal relations with foreign leaders are really key, a key to how -- what the nature of the bilateral relationship is more generally.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Kevin Whitaker was ambassador to Colombia from 2014 until 2019 under Presidents Obama and Trump.

KEVIN WHITAKER: One of the things that characterizes the Trump administration, especially Trump 2.0 now, is that policy formulation resides with the president full stop.

And so getting through to the president and saying and doing things that are pleasing to him are about the only way for a foreign government to manipulate policy.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Whitaker calls Colombia a key U.S.

regional ally in confronting the multibillion-dollar cocaine trafficking industry.

But under Petro, cocaine production is at an all-time high.

KEVIN WHITAKER: Petro's failure to address the cocaine problem, both by ending any eradication of coca, but also by taking his foot off the pedal in terms of military actions against these illegal armed groups, I think is a real source of friction between the two countries.

If yesterday's phone call begins a process of recuperating that relationship, that would be a very good thing.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And it would be a thaw, apparently agreed on a single phone call.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.