WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolás Maduro.
Rubio’s statements on TV talk shows seemed designed to temper concerns about whether the assertive American action to achieve regime change might again produce a prolonged foreign intervention or failed attempt at nation-building. They stood in contrast to Trump’s broad but vague claims that the U.S. would at least temporarily “run” the oil-rich nation, comments that suggested some sort of governing structure under which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.
Rubio offered a more nuanced take, saying the U.S. would continue to enforce an oil quarantine already in place and utilize that leverage to press for policy changes in Venezuela.
“And so that’s the sort of control the president is pointing to when he says that,” Rubio noted. “We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also to stop the drug trafficking.”
The blockade on sanctioned oil tankers — some of which have been seized by the U.S. — “remains in place and that’s a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not just further the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela,” he added.
Leaders in Venezuela have so far pushed back, at least publicly, calling on the Trump administration to release Maduro.
Even prior to the operation that arrested Maduro, experts were questioning the legality of certain aspects of the administration’s pressure campaign on Venezuela, including the alleged bombing of boats accused of drug trafficking, which some scholars said stretched international law's boundaries.
Trump’s promise US would ‘run’ Venezuela
Trump reiterated his commitment to “run” Venezuela, claiming that the U.S. would manage the country until it could “be put back on track,” yet providing few details or an explicit timeline for such an endeavor. Trump's remarks also attracted scrutiny from Democrats and some Republican factions wary of foreign interventions and reminiscent of historical nation-building efforts.
Rubio dismissed criticisms, suggesting that Trump’s comments had been misconstrued. “The whole foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan. This is not the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. This is the Western Hemisphere,” he asserted.
Rubio added that the U.S. would allow Maduro’s subordinates now in charge time to govern, indicating that the U.S. would assess their actions going forward. While he did not rule out deploying boots on the ground in Venezuela, he emphasized the U.S. is already well-positioned in the region to thwart illicit activities.
On Saturday, Trump indicated determination to control the situation in Venezuela until a safe, proper, and judicious transition could take place, fortifying his military team, including Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Shortly after, the administration announced Maduro had been taken into custody, amidst a broader campaign aimed at disrupting the Venezuelan government's drug trafficking activities.
The legality of these actions has been a focal point of national and international debate, particularly considering the implications for sovereignty and the precedent set for future U.S. interventions abroad.
}
