The head of American diplomacy made these statements after sending a written document to the Upper Chamber in which he did not rule out “the use of force” to force the Venezuelan interim government to collaborate with the Trump government
The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, assured this Wednesday that Donald Trump’s government has no intention of carrying out a new attack in Venezuela, although he does not rule out any option if the interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, does not cooperate with Washington.
“I can assure you with complete certainty that we are not preparing, nor do we intend, nor do we expect to have to take any military action in Venezuela at any time,” Rubio highlighted during his speech in the Senate to inform about the government’s plans in Venezuela.
The head of American diplomacy made these statements after sending a written document to the Upper Chamber in which he did not rule out “the use of force” to force the Venezuelan interim government to collaborate with the Trump government. During the hearing, Rubio stated that, at this time, the only American military presence in Venezuela are the Marines who protect the embassy.
However, he insisted that Trump, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, “never discards his options” with the aim of protecting national interests: “If an Iranian drone factory appears and threatens our forces in the region, the president maintains the option of eliminating it”, he exemplified.
Asked by lawmakers whether the government will inform Congress in the event of an upcoming military action in the region, Rubio said they do not foresee an operation that would involve them in a sustained manner in Venezuela, which is why it would not be necessary to notify lawmakers.
“Everything is developing on a very different trajectory right now,” he explained. The White House did not ask Congress for permission to carry out the attack in Venezuela on January 3, which resulted in the overthrow of Nicolás Maduro and the capture of the Chavista leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, who face drug trafficking charges in New York.
Rubio maintains that the action was correct, given that it was not a “war” nor the “occupation of a foreign country”, but a judicial operation to arrest two people wanted by American justice.
*EFE
