Rubio warns Venezuela’s leader of a Maduro-like fate if defiance continues

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to warn on Wednesday that Venezuela’s oil-rich leadership could face the same fate as former president Nicolás Maduro if it fails to comply with Washington’s demands.

In prepared remarks for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio was expected to say that Acting President Delcy Rodríguez—formerly vice president—“is well aware of Maduro’s fate” and understands that her own self-interest aligns with advancing key US objectives.

“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 the testimony, referring to President Donald Trump.

The former senator agreed to testify after weeks of criticism from Democrats, who have accused the Trump administration of misleading lawmakers and overstepping its authority by using force.

On January 3, US commandos carried out a raid in Caracas, capturing Maduro—long a leftist adversary of Washington—and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple were flown to New York to face US drug trafficking charges, which they deny.

Rubio strongly defended the operation, saying the United States had “arrested two narcotraffickers” and arguing that Maduro was “an indicted drug trafficker, not a legitimate head of state.” He said the mission was completed without the loss of any American lives or a prolonged military occupation, calling it a rare case of achieving significant results at minimal cost.

Venezuelan officials, however, claimed that more than 100 people—including Venezuelans and Cubans—were killed while attempting to defend Maduro.

Trump has since pressed Rodríguez to act in ways that benefit US oil companies. Shortly after Maduro’s removal, the president signaled a preference for working through Rodríguez rather than backing Venezuela’s democratic opposition, dismissing opposition leader María Corina Machado as lacking sufficient authority.

Trump later adopted a warmer tone toward Machado after she visited the White House and presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize, which she won last year.

Following his congressional appearance, Rubio was scheduled to hold a closed-door meeting with Machado on Wednesday, according to the State Department. Rubio, a Cuban-American and long-time critic of leftist governments in Latin America, had previously supported Machado’s opposition movement during his time in the Senate.

The United States and most Western countries had refused to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader after elections that international observers said were marred by irregularities.

Rodríguez said on Sunday that she was done taking orders from Washington, though she has also sought to attract US oil investment and said on Tuesday that the United States was unblocking previously sanctioned Venezuelan funds.