WASHINGTON, January 29. /TASS/. The United States is pushing Venezuela to curtail the presence of Russia, China, and Iran, US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio said.
"For the first time in 20 years, we're having serious conversations about eroding and eliminating the Iranian presence, the Chinese influence, the Russian presence as well. In fact, I would tell you that there are many elements there in Venezuela that welcome a return to establishing relations to the United States on multiple fronts," he said.
He actually acknowledged that Washington could not engage in such activities when Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in Caracas. "The erosion of Iranian, Russian or Chinese influence, none of these things would have been possible as long as Maduro was there," he said at a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"Now we have a real opportunity, not just to create change systemically within that country through our help," he said, adding that the US administration sees its mission in ensuring that Venezuela is no longer "the central base of operation for every geopolitical adversary we have." "And that's what Venezuela was under Maduro, and that's what we hope and intend to change," he emphasized. In his words, Venezuela, along with Cuba and Nicaragua, is Russia’s "primary presence of influence" in the Western Hemisphere.
On January 3, the United States attacked civilian and military facilities in Caracas. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto condemned Washington’s actions as a military aggression. A state of emergency has been imposed in Venezuela. Trump confirmed the attack on Venezuela. He also said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and taken out of the country. On January 5, the couple appeared before the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York, where they face charges of alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Both have pleaded not guilty. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president on January 6. Meanwhile, Trump said that Washington would "run" Venezuela in the interim and promised to seek compensation from Caracas for American oil companies, while these firms would allocate funds to restore Venezuela's oil infrastructure.