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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump stands behind him throughout a press convention following a U.S. strike on Venezuela the place President Nicolas Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, had been captured, from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago membership in Palm Seaside, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday appeared to backtrack on President Donald Trump’s declare that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela after U.S. forces on Saturday captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and hauled him to the U.S.
Requested for particulars on how the U.S. plans to run Venezuela, Rubio mentioned the U.S. would use leverage gained from its oil blockade on the nation and regional army buildup to realize its coverage goals. He didn’t say the U.S. would immediately govern Venezuela.
The U.S. in latest months has seized tankers related to the nation and moved army ships and warplanes into the Caribbean.
“What is going on to occur right here is we now have a quarantine on their oil, which means their economic system won’t be able to maneuver ahead till the circumstances which can be within the nationwide curiosity of the US and the pursuits of the Venezuelan persons are met, and that is what we intend to do,” Rubio mentioned on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
“That leverage stays, that leverage is ongoing and we count on that it may result in outcomes right here,” Rubio mentioned.
Trump mentioned on Saturday mentioned the U.S. would “run the nation till such time as we are able to do a protected, correct and even handed transition.”
The feedback sparked a firestorm of criticism from Trump’s adversaries and a few allies, who warned in opposition to a nation-building train in Venezuela.
“We’ve realized by the years when America tries to do regime change and nation constructing on this approach, the American folks pay the value in each blood and {dollars},” Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., mentioned on ABC on Sunday.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as president following Maduro’s seize. Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, arrived in New York on Saturday night time to face fees associated to drug trafficking.
Rubio’s feedback counsel that the U.S. will take a softer strategy with Venezuela than Trump’s preliminary options of ruling the nation with a “group.” Although Rubio mentioned Trump nonetheless might take additional army motion to realize U.S. objectives.
Requested on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about additional army motion in Venezuela, Rubio mentioned Trump “retains all his optionality.”
Rubio additionally extrapolated on the U.S.’ goals with Venezuela’s oil reserves. Trump on Saturday mentioned the U.S. is “going to have our very giant United States oil firms — the most important anyplace on the earth — go in, spend billions of {dollars}, repair the badly damaged infrastructure, the oil infrastructure.”
Venezuela sits on the most important confirmed oil reserves on the earth.
“Finally, this isn’t about securing the oil fields; that is about guaranteeing that no sanctioned oil can come out and in till they make adjustments to the governance of that whole trade,” Rubio mentioned on ABC. “The way in which to deal with it to the good thing about the Venezuelan folks is to get personal firms that aren’t from Iran or some place else to go in and put money into the tools.”
Rubio mentioned he has not spoken to particular U.S. oil firms in regards to the prospect of beginning enterprise in Venezuela. At present, solely Chevron operates within the nation.
“We’re fairly sure that there might be dramatic curiosity from Western firms,” Rubio mentioned.
Rubio mentioned Inside Secretary Doug Burgum and Vitality Secretary Chris Wright might be “taking an evaluation and chatting with a few of these firms.”
Clarification: The U.S. army captured Nicolas Maduro and eliminated him from Venezuela. That was not clear in a reference in an earlier model of this text.
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