US Secretary of State and Acting National Security Adviser Marco Rubio gave testimony on Wednesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on US policy regarding Venezuela after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro.
The US military earlier this month launched an extraordinary military operation in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, where it captured the former Venezuelan leader and took him to New York for a criminal trial. The first lady of Venezuela, Cilia Flores, was also kidnapped in the operation.
'We are prepared to use force' but there is 'good and decent progress' in Venezuela
TL;DR: Since then, former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has assumed the role of acting president of Venezuela.
Since then, former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has assumed the role of acting president of Venezuela.
"We will closely monitor the performance of the interim authorities as they cooperate with our stage-based plan to restore stability to Venezuela," Rubio testified. "Make no mistake, as the president has stated, we are prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail."
Target Venezuela: Drug war or US power grab?
TL;DR: He said this will "allow us to have real-life information" and it will boost US engagement with both the Venezuelan government and opposition.
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At the same time, Rubio claimed there is "good and decent progress in Venezuela," saying "we are certainly better off today in Venezuela than we were four weeks ago."
Rubio also said there will soon be a ramped-up US diplomatic presence in Venezuela and that steps are being taken to reopen the US Embassy in Caracas, which had closed in 2019. He said this will "allow us to have real-life information" and it will boost US engagement with both the Venezuelan government and opposition.
Proceeds from Venezuelan oil sales will flow into US-controlled bank account
TL;DR: Rubio also described what will be done with the proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil.
Rubio also described what will be done with the proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil. The Latin American has the world's largest oil reserves.
The top diplomat said money generated from the sale of Venezuelan oil will be put into a bank account controlled by the US Treasury. He then said the Venezuelan government will then "spend that money for the benefit of the Venezuelan people."
In regards to Venezuelan oil, Trump has previously said "Venezuela is going to get some, and we're going to get some." Both Venezuelan officials and US Democrats such as Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut have accused the Trump administration of attempting to steal Venezuela's oil.
Greenland, Iran also brought up by Rubio at hearing
TL;DR: Rubio also discussed other Trump administration foreign policy priorities during the hearing, such as Greenland and Iran.
Rubio also discussed other Trump administration foreign policy priorities during the hearing, such as Greenland and Iran.
Trump has previously threated a US takeover of Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark. Trump's takeover push has been roundly condemned by not only Danish and Greenlandic officials but also European leaders such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
"There'll be some technical level meetings between us and our partners in Greenland and Denmark on this issue, and I think we have in place a process that's going to bring us to a good outcome for everybody," Rubio said.
The top US diplomat also discussed the protests in Iran against the Shia Islamist government. Trump is threatening Iran with military action if it does not agree to a new nuclear deal.
"That regime is probably weaker than it has ever been and the core problem they face — unlike the protests you saw in the past on some other topics — is that they don't have a way to address the core complaints of the protests, which is that their economy is in collapse," Rubio said.
Curated by Fatima Al-Hassan
