https://sputnikglobe.com/20260128/rubio-says-there-is-no-war-against-venezuela-us-did-not-occupy-country-1123543007.html
Rubio Lays Out US Policy on Venezuela, NATO, Ukraine and Iran in Senate Testimony
Rubio Lays Out US Policy on Venezuela, NATO, Ukraine and Iran in Senate Testimony
Sputnik International
Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Venezuela, NATO, Ukraine and other policy in Senate testimony Wednesday.
2026-01-28T15:50+0000
2026-01-28T15:50+0000
2026-01-28T18:16+0000
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“There is no war against Venezuela, and we did not occupy a country. There are no US troops on the ground,” Rubio said in his remarks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.The US and Venezuela are even talking about cooperating on counter narcotics for the first time in twenty years, according to the US’s top diplomat.Rubio assured that the US wants to reach a political transition in Venezuela so that it becomes a “friendly, stable, prosperous and democratic” country.The secretary added that the US is prepared to help oversee Venezuela’s transition from a “criminal state” to a responsible partner.Rubio warned that the US will watch what Venezuelan interim authorities do and remain ready to use force to ensure “cooperation”, if needed.Rubio stated further that the US would not allow the Western Hemisphere to become a platform for America’s adversaries.”The president has made clear that the Western Hemisphere is our home, and we will not tolerate criminality within this Hemisphere that harms American citizens or permit territory to become platforms for our adversaries,” he said.Rubio also assured that acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez had pledged to stop shipping oil to Cuba.Proceeds from Venezuelan oil sales are currently being deposited in an account that will later become a US Treasury account in the United States, Marco Rubio clarified.”On the sanctioned oil, the oil that requires US permission to move. That oil, the proceeds of that oil, which, by the way, is being sold at market price, not at the discount Venezuela was being forced to sell, is being deposited into an account that ultimately will become a US Treasury blocked account here in the United States,” he said.Rubio noted that for Venezuelan authorities to access the funds, a request detailing how the money will be used will have to be submitted. Part of the oil sale proceeds will also be directed to audit processes which will ensure the funds are being spent appropriately.NATO PolicyShifting gears to US NATO policy, Rubio said that the US benefits from NATO, but that the alliance needs to be “reimagined” in terms of member obligations.The US has informed Europe that Washington’s defense resources are also needed for Latin America, Rubio said.The secretary assured that the US is in a “good place” on Greenland, and that this process will bring all sides to a good outcome.“In the case of Greenland, I will say we on a good place right now. We had excellent meetings with the secretary general of NATO. In fact, even as I speak to you now, there’ll be some technical level meetings between us and our partners in Greenland and Denmark on this issue,” Rubio said.UkraineOn Ukraine, Rubio said the idea of security guarantees for Kiev basically would involve the deployment of a handful of European troops, and a US backstop.These security guarantees would be irrelevant without a US backstop, as European countries have not invested enough in their defense capabilities, Rubio added.Commenting on the state of peace talks, the secretary suggested that territorial questions regarding Donetsk are an issue requiring a “bridging of views.’ Active US work on reconciling positions continues, he said.IranRubio claimed the Iranian Government is “weaker than ever” and is unable to address the economic crisis which sparked nationwide unrest.”That regime is probably weaker than it has ever been, and the core problem they face, unlike the protests you saw in the past on some other topics, is that they don’t have a way to address the core complaints of the protests, which is that their economy is in collapse,” he said.The secretary expressed his belief that while the protests might have scaled down, they are poised to resume in the future unless Iranian authorities find a way to address the public’s “legitimate and consistent” demands.Rubio also warned that Trump reserves the option to eliminate a potential threat from Iran to defend the US.Summarizing his testimony, Rubio said the US “has interests all over the world.”
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https://sputnikglobe.com/20260127/nato-article-5-may-be-invoked-if-greenland-faces-us-threat—lawmaker-1123532741.html
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what did rubio say, will us attack venezuela and iran again
what did rubio say, will us attack venezuela and iran again
Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Venezuela, NATO, Ukraine and other policy in Senate testimony Wednesday.
The US and Venezuela are even talking about cooperating on counter narcotics for the first time in twenty years, according to the US’s top diplomat.
“I’m not here to tell you … it’s all going to go perfectly. But for the first time in 20 years, we are having serious counter-narcotic talks with Venezuelan authorities … about going after narcotics organizations,” Rubio said.
Rubio assured that the US wants to reach a political transition in Venezuela so that it becomes a “friendly, stable, prosperous and democratic” country.
Rubio warned that the US will watch what Venezuelan interim authorities do and remain ready to use force to ensure “cooperation”, if needed.
“We will closely monitor the performance of the interim authorities as they cooperate with our stage-based plan to restore stability to Venezuela. Make no mistake, as the president has stated, we are prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail,” Rubio said in testimony.
Rubio stated further that the US would not allow the Western Hemisphere to become a platform for America’s adversaries.
“The president has made clear that the Western Hemisphere is our home, and we will not tolerate criminality within this Hemisphere that harms American citizens or permit territory to become platforms for our adversaries,” he said.
Rubio also assured that acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez had pledged to stop shipping oil to Cuba.
“She has pledged to end Venezuela’s oil lifeline to the Cuban regime and to pursue national reconciliation with Venezuelans at home and abroad,” Rubio said.
Proceeds from Venezuelan oil sales are currently being deposited in an account that will later become a US Treasury account in the United States, Marco Rubio clarified.
“On the sanctioned oil, the oil that requires US permission to move. That oil, the proceeds of that oil, which, by the way, is being sold at market price, not at the discount Venezuela was being forced to sell, is being deposited into an account that ultimately will become a US Treasury blocked account here in the United States,” he said.
Rubio noted that for Venezuelan authorities to access the funds, a request detailing how the money will be used will have to be submitted. Part of the oil sale proceeds will also be directed to audit processes which will ensure the funds are being spent appropriately.
Shifting gears to US NATO policy, Rubio said that the US benefits from NATO, but that the alliance needs to be “reimagined” in terms of member obligations.
The US has informed Europe that Washington’s defense resources are also needed for Latin America, Rubio said.
The secretary assured that the US is in a “good place” on Greenland, and that this process will bring all sides to a good outcome.
“In the case of Greenland, I will say we on a good place right now. We had excellent meetings with the secretary general of NATO. In fact, even as I speak to you now, there’ll be some technical level meetings between us and our partners in Greenland and Denmark on this issue,” Rubio said.
On Ukraine, Rubio said the idea of security guarantees for Kiev basically would involve the deployment of a handful of European troops, and a US backstop.
“Those security guarantees [for Ukraine] basically involve the deployment of a handful of European troops, primarily French, the UK, and then a US backstop.”
These security guarantees would be irrelevant without a US backstop, as European countries have not invested enough in their defense capabilities, Rubio added.
The secretary admitted that the US has not received Russia’s consent for any such security guarantees.
Commenting on the state of peace talks, the secretary suggested that territorial questions regarding Donetsk are an issue requiring a “bridging of views.’ Active US work on reconciling positions continues, he said.
Rubio claimed the Iranian Government is “weaker than ever” and is unable to address the economic crisis which sparked nationwide unrest.
“That regime is probably weaker than it has ever been, and the core problem they face, unlike the protests you saw in the past on some other topics, is that they don’t have a way to address the core complaints of the protests, which is that their economy is in collapse,” he said.
The secretary expressed his belief that while the protests might have scaled down, they are poised to resume in the future unless Iranian authorities find a way to address the public’s “legitimate and consistent” demands.
Rubio also warned that Trump reserves the option to eliminate a potential threat from Iran to defend the US.
“The president does reserve the option in self-defense to eliminate that threat. We don’t see that. We don’t anticipate it, but it could happen, but we hope not. We don’t want it to happen,” Rubio said.
Summarizing his testimony, Rubio said the US “has interests all over the world.”
“We have interest in the Middle East. We have interest in the Western Hemisphere, and we most certainly have interest in the Indo-Pacific,” Rubio told lawmakers.
