By Patricia Zengerle, Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuela’s new leaders were moving toward closer ties with Washington, leaving no immediate need for further U.S. military action, as he publicly faced lawmakers’ questions on Wednesday for the first time since President Nicolas Maduro’s capture this month.
President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to work with Delcy Rodriguez, a Maduro ally who was sworn in as interim president after his arrest, but previously warned of further military action if her government does not comply with U.S. demands.
Rubio, a former Florida senator and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told a packed Senate hearing room that while Trump would not rule out any options, “we are not postured to, nor do we intend or expect to, have to take any military action in Venezuela,” signaling the administration’s satisfaction with Rodriguez.
“The only military presence you will see in Venezuela is our Marine guards at an embassy. That is our goal. That is our expectation,” Rubio said.
Communications with Venezuela’s leaders were “very respectful and productive,” Rubio said, adding that he expected the U.S. would soon be able to reopen a diplomatic presence in the country. The U.S. embassy in Caracas has been shuttered since 2019, but the State Department has in recent weeks sent officials to begin preparations for its reopening.
‘SERIOUS CONVERSATIONS’
“For the first time in 20 years, we are having serious conversations about eroding and eliminating the Iranian presence, the Chinese influence, the Russian presence as well. In fact, I will tell you that there are many elements there in Venezuela that welcome a return to establishing relations with the United States on multiple fronts,” he said.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that U.S. intelligence reports have questioned whether Rodriguez is fully on board with the U.S. strategy for her country and if she intends to formally cut ties with U.S. adversaries.
Rubio met at the State Department later on Wednesday with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, amid questions about whether Trump would ever install her as Venezuela’s leader to replace Maduro.
Afterward, Machado told reporters she wanted to assure Venezuelans that change was coming. “I know what Venezuela is living through; I feel it in every fiber of my being. But I tell you this: we are going to achieve it. It is happening,” she said.
In his testimony, Rubio said Maduro had to be removed from power because Venezuela had become a base of operations for U.S. adversaries, including China, Russia and Iran, and his alleged cooperation with drug traffickers was affecting the Western Hemisphere.
“It was an untenable situation and it had to be addressed,” Rubio said.
The U.S. has set up a mechanism to sell Venezuelan oil in the short term but aimed to facilitate a transition to “a friendly, stable, prosperous Venezuela” that ultimately chooses its leaders through free and fair elections, Rubio said.
Venezuela sits on the world’s largest crude oil reserves, and the Trump administration has said it intends to control the OPEC member’s oil industry and revenue indefinitely.
A group of 12 Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday warned about the financial risks of investing in Venezuela, pointing out that the terms offered by the U.S. and Venezuelan governments could be reversed.
‘WITHOUT PRECEDENT’
Several members of Congress, some Republicans as well as Democrats, have expressed frustration with what they say is a lack of communication from Trump aides about major operations, including the capture of Maduro and the elimination of many foreign aid programs supported by Congress.
Two weeks ago, Trump’s fellow Republicans narrowly blocked a resolution that would have barred Trump from further military action in Venezuela without Congress’ authorization. Vice President JD Vance was forced to break a tie.
The war powers resolution appeared to be on track to pass the Senate after five Republicans joined Democrats in voting to advance it, in rare Republican opposition to Trump.
But Trump railed at the five, saying they should never again be elected to public office. He and Rubio encouraged senators to change their votes by insisting there were no U.S. troops in Venezuela, and with promises including Rubio’s agreement to testify publicly. Two of them, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana, flipped their positions, citing the administration’s assurances.
The close vote reflected concern in Congress about Trump’s foreign policy and growing support for the argument that Congress should take back the power to send U.S. troops to war from the president, as spelled out in the Constitution.
Some Democrats during the hearing warned that the U.S. could be pulled into another long overseas entanglement in Venezuela, questioned the legality of U.S. strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs and also questioned the wisdom of working closely with Rodriguez, a lifelong socialist and previously an opponent of U.S. involvement in her country.
“The scope of the project that you are undertaking in Venezuela is without precedent,” Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said. “You are taking their oil at gunpoint. You are holding and selling that oil, putting for now the receipts in an offshore Middle Eastern account. You’re deciding how and for what purposes that money is going to be used in a country of 30 million people. I think a lot of us believe that that is destined for failure.”
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk; additional reporting by Katharine Jackson, Brendan O’Boyle, Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Don Durfee, Chris Reese, Rod Nickel)
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