Prime US diplomat offers scant point out of worldwide legislation as he touts ‘strategic’ significance of abducting Maduro.
Revealed On 28 Jan 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has begun his testimony earlier than a Senate committee listening to on the US abduction of Venezuelan chief Nicolas Maduro.
Starting the listening to earlier than the Senate Overseas Relations Committee on Wednesday, Rubio defended the operation, which has been roundly condemned as a flagrant violation of worldwide legislation.
Beneficial Tales
record of three gadgetsfinish of record
Rubio pointed to what he described because the “strategic” significance of the January 3 operation to abduct Maduro, describing Venezuela as a “base of operation for nearly each competitor, adversary and enemy on the earth”.
He listed Venezuela’s alleged ties to Iran, Russia and Cuba.
“[Having Maduro in power] was an infinite strategic threat for the US, not midway around the globe, not in one other continent, however in within the hemisphere by which all of us reside, and it was having dramatic impacts on us, but in addition on Colombia and on the Caribbean Basin and all kinds of different locations,” he advised lawmakers.
“It was an untenable state of affairs, and it needed to be addressed, and now the query turns into what occurs transferring ahead,” he mentioned.
Rubio mentioned the US had three aims in Venezuela, the end result being “a part of transition the place we’re left with a pleasant, secure, affluent Venezuela – and democratic”.
In that, Rubio defended the choice of US President Donald Trump to proceed working with the federal government surrounding Maduro, together with interim President Delcy Rodriguez, whereas not initially supporting an opposition takeover.
Rubio mentioned the primary goal was avoiding civil warfare in Venezuela and aiming to “set up direct, sincere, respectful, however very direct and sincere conversations with the individuals who right this moment management the weather of that nation”.
He mentioned the second part is a “interval of restoration … and that’s the part by which you need to see a normalised oil trade”.
Talking earlier than Rubio, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the highest Democrat on the Senate, centered little on the broader worldwide legislation implications of the Trump administration’s strategy to Venezuela.
As a substitute, she centered on the fee, noting that the army operation and ongoing naval blockade have been estimated by some exterior analysts to value $1bn.
“So it’s no surprise that so lots of my constituents are asking, why is the president spending a lot time centered on Venezuela as a substitute of the price of dwelling and their kitchen desk financial considerations?”
