Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that productive cooperation from Venezuela’s interim government eliminates any necessity for additional military operations during Senate testimony Wednesday. The assessment represented significant retreat from prepared remarks suggesting Washington would not hesitate to use force again if demands weren’t met.
The former Florida senator told lawmakers with full certainty that acting president Delcy Rodriguez and her administration are responding adequately to American requirements, making further military intervention unnecessary. He specified that additional action would require emergence of imminent threats that officials do not currently anticipate.
Rubio described interim authority cooperation as exceeding initial expectations across multiple dimensions including prisoner releases, budget submissions, energy sector access arrangements, and termination of subsidized Cuban oil exports. He suggested this responsiveness demonstrates that economic leverage and diplomatic pressure can achieve American objectives without sustained military presence.
Democrats questioned whether this assessment reflects genuine cooperation or merely interim government capitulation under duress. They challenged whether compliance extracted through military force and economic control constitutes legitimate partnership or simply demonstrates that weaker nations must accept American demands regardless of sovereignty concerns.
The hearing also examined Greenland tensions within NATO, Iran military deployment characterized as defensive, and arguments that regional conflicts operate independently rather than creating precedents. Rubio sought to present the Venezuela intervention as unique situation rather than template for future actions.