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Washington (AP) – Secretary of State Marco Rubio Suggested on Sunday that the United States would play no daily role in governing Venezuela other than enforcing the existing system “Oil quarantine” on the country.The change came after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the US would run Venezuela on its own Expulsion of leader Nicolas Maduro,
Rubio’s statements on TV talk shows appear to be designed to ease concerns about whether assertive U.S. action to achieve regime change could again lead to prolonged foreign intervention or a failed attempt at nation-building. They stood in contrast to Trump’s broad but vague claims that the US would at least temporarily “run” the oil-rich nation, comments that suggested some type of governing structure under which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.
But Rubio offered a more nuanced stance, saying the US would continue to Enforce oil quarantine It was already in place on tankers sanctioned before Maduro was ousted from power early Saturday and that leverage was being used as a means to press policy changes in Venezuela.
“And so when the president says that, that’s the kind of control he’s pointing to,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We continue that quarantine, and we hope to see that there will be a change in the way the oil industry is run not only for the benefit of the people, but also that they will prevent drug trafficking.”
Blockade on approved oil tankers – some of which have been seized by the US – “Remains in place, and that’s a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue until we see changes that not only advance the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also lead to a better future for the Venezuelan people,” he said.
Trump reiterates US will ‘run’ Venezuela
Trump’s pledge to “run” Venezuela, repeated more than a half-dozen times at a news conference in Florida on Saturday, raised concern among some Democrats. It also drew unease from parts of his own Republican coalition, including the “America First” base that opposes foreign intervention, and also from observers who recalled past nation-building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rubio rejected such criticism, saying that Trump’s intentions were misunderstood by a “foreign policy establishment” focused on the Middle East.
“The whole foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan,” Rubio said. “This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere.”
Rubio also suggested that the US would give Maduro’s subordinates, now in charge, time to govern, saying, “We’ll judge everything based on what they do, and we’ll see what they do.” And although he did not rule out a US military presence in Venezuela, Rubio said the current US “force posture” was capable of stopping drug boats and sanctioned tankers.
A day earlier, Trump told reporters, “We will run the country until we have a safe, just and prudent transition.” He later pointed to his national security team, which also included Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and said it would be done for some time “by the people standing right behind me. We’ll run it, we’ll bring it back.”
The White House declined to comment beyond what Trump said Saturday.
Maduro’s arrival
Maduro landed after midnight Saturday afternoon at a small airport in the northern suburbs of New York City. He and his wife were evacuated from the operationCilia Flores, from her home in a military base in the capital Caracas – an act Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces US charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Maduros’ dramatic seizure banned Intensive Trump administration pressure campaign Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning that resulted in the most assertive U.S. action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions Regarding the legality of the operation, which was carried out without congressional approval.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded that the US free Maduro Called him the true leader of the country As his country’s High Court named him interim President.
After arriving at the airport, Maduro was flown by helicopter to Manhattan, where a convoy of law enforcement vehicles, including an armored car, was waiting to take him to a nearby U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration office. A video posted on social media by the White House account showed Maduro smiling as two DEA agents walked by the office, holding his arms.
He is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court in Manhattan on Monday.
Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were convicted of narco-terrorism conspiracy charges in 2020, and The Justice Department issued a new indictment Maduro and his wife on Saturday, who portrayed his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug trafficking operation that has flooded the U.S. with cocaine. The US government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.
The Trump administration spent several months deploying US troops to the region and attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean allegedly transporting drugs. Last week the CIA was behind this drone strike The docking area is believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels – the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US operation began in September.
There is silence in Venezuela after the American operation
The Venezuelan capital remained unusually quiet on Sunday with very few vehicles moving around and convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses closed. On a street normally packed with runners, cyclists and other fitness enthusiasts on Sunday, the day after Maduro stepped down from office, only a handful of people were exercising.
Rashtrapati Bhavan was guarded by armed civilians and members of the army. In a nearby plaza, only a street sweeper and a soldier were standing, and across the street, a church remained closed for the second consecutive day.
Caracas resident David Leal arrived at the spot where he parks vehicles for a living, but he quickly realized he probably wouldn’t see any customers the next day.
“People are still in shock,” Leal, 77, said.
García Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alana Durkin Richer; Farnoush Amiri in New York; Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report.