Rubio says Delcy Rodríguez promised to stop sending oil to Cuba.

247 - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has pledged to halt the supply of Venezuelan oil to Cuba. The statement was made on Wednesday (28), during written testimony presented by Rubio to the US Senate. The information is from Sputnik.

According to the US Secretary of State, Rodríguez reportedly committed to ending what he described as a "vital oil pipeline to the Cuban regime," as well as seeking a process of national reconciliation with Venezuelans living in the country and abroad. Rubio also stated that the United States is not at war with Venezuela and denied any direct military occupation of the country.

Denial of military occupation

"There is no war against Venezuela, and we do not occupy a country. There are no US troops on the ground," the secretary stated during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

During his testimony, Rubio said that Washington and Caracas had resumed talks on cooperation in combating drug trafficking, something that, according to him, had not occurred in a substantive way for about two decades. "For the first time in 20 years, we are having serious conversations about combating drug trafficking with Venezuelan authorities," he stated.

Objective of political transition

The secretary further stated that the stated objective of the United States is to promote a political transition in Venezuela to transform it into a country he described as "friendly, stable, prosperous, and democratic." Rubio added that the U.S. government considers itself capable of overseeing this transition, which he described as the passage from a "criminal state" to a responsible partner.

Despite the rhetoric of cooperation, Rubio warned that the United States will maintain constant vigilance over the actions of the Venezuelan interim authorities and did not rule out the use of force to ensure what he called "maximum cooperation." "We are prepared to use force to ensure cooperation if other methods fail," he said.

Control over oil resources

The secretary also stated that the Trump administration will not allow the Western Hemisphere to be used as a platform by adversaries of the United States. According to him, the presidential directive is to treat the region as a priority strategic area for Washington.

Rubio further detailed that the proceeds from currently authorized Venezuelan oil sales are being deposited into an account that will subsequently be frozen by the United States Treasury. According to him, access to these funds will depend on the submission of formal requests explaining how the resources will be used, as well as audit processes to monitor expenditures.