Скачать или смотреть Rubio defends Venezuela operation, says military force still an option if leaders defy US

Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced pointed questions from lawmakers on Wednesday as he defended the Trump administration’s operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and warned that additional military force remains an option if the country’s interim leadership fails to cooperate with the United States.

Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said the United States is not at war with Venezuela but made clear President Trump is prepared to act if U.S. objectives are undermined. “We want to reach a phase of transition where we are left with a friendly, stable, prosperous and democratic Venezuela,” Rubio told senators.

The hearing marked Rubio’s first public testimony since a U.S. military operation earlier this month led to the capture of Maduro. Rubio argued Maduro’s removal was essential to making progress on long-stalled reforms. “He was an impediment to progress,” Rubio said, citing the release of political prisoners, reforms to Venezuela’s oil industry and the reduction of Iranian, Russian and Chinese influence in the country.

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