U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has outlined the three main phases of the United States’ plan for Venezuela, which he says are intended to lead the South American country toward stability and economic normalization.
According to Rubio, the first phase is stabilization, during which the White House is working with authorities to secure markets for the sale of Venezuelan oil, a process from which both the United States and Venezuela would benefit.
The second phase, he said, is economic recovery, where financial resources would be directed toward the benefit of citizens and a process of national reconciliation would begin. Rubio did not provide detailed explanations on how this reconciliation process would be implemented.
The third phase envisions a transition to normal operations, returning Venezuela to what Rubio described as a “normal country” and establishing strong economic and diplomatic relations between the two nations. The Secretary of State stated that this would prevent Washington’s adversaries from gaining any “foothold” in the country, while Venezuela would support U.S. interests.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured on January 3, 2026, during an intensified U.S. military operation in Venezuela. As part of this intervention, Maduro and his wife were arrested and later transferred to New York to face charges related to drug trafficking and “narco-terrorism.”
