The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday to explain Washington's strategy towards Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
In an extensive testimony, Rubio outlined a transition plan divided into three phases and emphasized that the central objective of Washington is to achieve a "friendly, stable, prosperous, and democratic Venezuela," where free and fair elections can be held, with full participation from all political sectors.
"In less than a month, we are further along than expected", he celebrated.
However, he also warned that the cooperation is not unconditional. If the interim authorities stray from the course or fail to meet commitments, they are "prepared to use force."
Although the testimony covered a wide range of political and diplomatic aspects, the central theme that articulated much of the discourse was oil, which has become a tool for control, financing, and conditioning the process.
“The short-term mechanism stabilizes the country and ensures that the income from sanctioned oil benefits the Venezuelan people, not the previous system,” Rubio explained to the senators.
The promise of free elections, although central, was described as a distant goal: “It’s going to take time”, he acknowledged.
Delcy Rodríguez and conditioned cooperation
The Secretary of State was questioned about the investigations linking Delcy Rodríguez to drug trafficking. He replied that, unlike Maduro, she is not charged in U.S. courts, although there are ongoing investigations by agencies like the DEA.
Even so, he emphasized that any cooperation is temporary and conditional: “We will closely monitor the performance of the interim authorities… and we are prepared to use force if other methods fail.”
Rubio stated that Rodríguez has already authorized limited oil sales to the United States, has released some prisoners, and has introduced changes in the cabinet.
He has also met with the CIA director in Caracas, which indicates a phase of operational dialogue, albeit under heavy surveillance.
Free and representative elections
Rubio was emphatic in stating that the Trump administration does not envision a solution that does not involve an inclusive electoral process.
“We want to reach a phase of transition in which we have a friendly, stable, prosperous, and democratic Venezuela, where all sectors of society are represented in free and fair elections,” he stated.
However, he warned that merely calling for the polls is not a guarantee of legitimacy if the opposition does not have access to the media or real conditions for participation.
"It is not enough to vote if the candidates are disqualified or do not have a platform to express themselves," he added.
Oil as the backbone of the transition plan
One of the longest and most strategic chapters of Rubio's testimony centered around the new control system over Venezuelan oil, which Washington describes as a formula to prevent both looting and fiscal collapse.
Despite the existing sanctions, the United States has accepted a limited and supervised sale of Venezuelan oil at market price, without the significant discounts that Maduro offered to allied countries like China.
“China received oil at discounts of up to 20 dollars per barrel, sometimes not paying in cash, but as a way to amortize debt,” Rubio denounced.
This new mechanism requires that the revenues be deposited into a blocked account under U.S. supervision, from where they can only be used with prior approval.
"We will first explain how this money can be spent.", he explained.
The interim authorities must present detailed budgets, emphasizing basic needs such as security, health care, and urban cleanliness. Part of the funds, according to Rubio, will be used to purchase medicines and equipment directly from the United States.
“The country was running out of storage capacity and faced an immediate fiscal collapse,” he explained.
"They needed money to pay for basic services: police, sanitation workers, the minimal functioning of the State," he added.
Another key technical point was the control over chemical diluents, which are necessary for processing Venezuelan heavy crude. Rubio noted that Venezuela previously obtained these products from Russia, but now imports them exclusively from the United States, which reinforces U.S. control over the production cycle.
Petroleum reform and opening to foreign capital
Rubio highlighted as a significant advance that the Venezuelan Parliament approved a new hydrocarbons law, which eliminates many of the restrictions imposed during the Chávez era on private investment.
Although he admitted that the measure is still not enough to attract massive capital, he described it as "a significant step in just three weeks."
The medium-term goal is the "normalization" of the oil industry, transforming it from a clientelist tool into a legitimate source of income for national reconstruction.
"Although Venezuela has the largest reserves in the world, its oil is the lifeline that will sustain the country if managed according to normal rules," he pointed out.
The United States will issue specific licenses for foreign companies interested in operating in the country, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
"Any company that wishes to explore opportunities or engage in economic activity in Venezuela will need a license from the Treasury to operate legally," Rubio explained.
Phase one: Stabilization and shielding against collapse
The immediate priority after Maduro's departure was to prevent a power vacuum that could lead to "a civil war, factional fighting, collapse of the chain of command, or a new mass exodus to Colombia."
To prevent it, Washington promoted what Rubio described as "direct, honest, and very clear conversations" with the new interim authorities, including the acting president Delcy Rodríguez.
Rubio defended the "transitory" nature of this understanding but made it clear that, in the short term, the United States needs operational interlocutors within the Venezuelan government.
“We are dealing with individuals who have been involved in things that would not be acceptable in our system,” he acknowledged, although he clarified: “The glue that held the regime together was not ideology. It was corruption.”
Phase two: recovery, and phase three: political opening
The second phase of the plan involves structural economic recovery, focused on eradicating corruption in the oil industry and establishing fair competition standards.
In parallel, the third phase includes the opening of the political system.
Rubio insisted that the release of political prisoners is progressing, although more slowly than hoped for.
"They are being released, some are already starting to participate in public life, but there is still a long way to go."
International dimension and geopolitical warning
Rubio described chavismo as a "narcotrafficking" regime that served as a platform for Iran, Russia, and China in the Western Hemisphere, in addition to cooperating with dissidents from the FARC and ELN.
"It was not a distant problem, but a threat rooted in our own hemisphere," he stated.
According to him, this is compounded by the use of Venezuela by global opponents to "project regional influence."
He reiterated that the operation on January 3 was not an invasion, but a specific action to assist law enforcement forces. "There is no war against Venezuela, and we are not occupying a country. There are no U.S. troops on the ground," he emphasized.
Diplomacy and Opposition: Rebuilding the Connection with Caracas
Rubio confirmed that Washington already has a team on the ground assessing a diplomatic reopening in Venezuela, which would enable the reestablishment of contacts with both the interim authorities and the opposition as well as civil society.
"We want to restore a relationship like the one that existed before chavismo," he stated. He also announced a leadership change at the helm of the Venezuelan affairs unit of the State Department.
This Wednesday, the secretary met with opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was recently received by Donald Trump at the White House.
Conclusion: supervision, oil, and elections as pillars
Rubio's final message to the Senate was clear: the Venezuelan transition is underway, but under strict U.S. supervision. The proposed scheme revolves around control of oil, gradual political opening, and the goal of free elections.
With this appearance, Rubio makes clear the White House's roadmap: financial control, conditional openness, diplomatic pressure, and covert military surveillance
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