What to know about Trump’s plan on Venezuela?

Following the abduction of Venezuelan person Nicolas Maduro connected Saturday, United States President Donald Trump said Washington would “run” the Latin American state until a modulation was complete, but a time later, his apical diplomat said the US does not privation to govern the country.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said connected Sunday that the US is not astatine warfare with Venezuela, portion connected the aforesaid day, Trump told reporters that helium mightiness bid a 2nd onslaught if Venezuela does not cooperate with the US to clamp down connected cause trafficking and unfastened up its lipid industry.

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The Department of Justice connected Monday softly dropped a assertion that Cartel de los Soles, oregon Cartel of the Suns, was an existent cause trafficking group. Last year, the US designated it arsenic a “terrorist” group. The Trump medication built its lawsuit against Maduro, asserting that helium was its leader.

In December, the US had accused Venezuela of trafficking fentanyl, dubbing it a “weapon of wide destruction”. However, erstwhile the charges were announced against Maduro connected Monday, fentanyl was not mentioned.

US Vice President JD Vance had connected Sunday inactive insisted that immoderate fentanyl did originate from Venezuela.

Analysts person pointed retired confusing messaging coming from the Trump medication regarding the purpose down the brazen cognition and however to determination forward. Experts person besides questioned the legality of the cognition that saw the reported sidesplitting of astatine slightest 40 people.

The Trump medication insists Maduro’s abduction was ineligible and that the Maduro authorities is not legitimate.

In the meantime, Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, who was sworn successful arsenic Venezuela’s interim president connected Monday, has expressed eagerness to collaborate with the US.

At the moment, the question of who volition govern Venezuela is hanging successful the balance. There are immoderate cardinal differences successful what Trump and Rubio person said.

What has Rubio said?

Rubio spoke to aggregate quality outlets connected Sunday and Monday, arsenic helium defended the US actions and spelled retired the reasoning down the cognition that has been condemned by the United Nations Security Council.

In an interrogation with Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press, Rubio said: “We are astatine warfare against cause trafficking organisations. That’s not a warfare against Venezuela.”

The seizure of “drug boats” volition continue, helium said, referring to the dozens of strikes connected vessels adjacent the Venezuelan seashore since September that person killed much than 100 people.

“No much cause trafficking … and nary much utilizing the lipid manufacture to enrich each our adversaries astir the satellite and not benefitting the radical of Venezuela or, frankly, benefitting the United States and the region,” Rubio told NBC connected Sunday.

Additionally, Rubio told NBC that the US does not request Venezuelan lipid and has plentifulness of its ain oil. “What we’re not going to let is for the lipid manufacture successful Venezuela to beryllium controlled by adversaries of the United States,” helium said, naming Russia, Iran and China.

“This is the Western Hemisphere. This is wherever we live. And we’re not going to let the Western Hemisphere to beryllium a basal of operations for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States, elemental arsenic that.”

Rubio told NBC’s Welker that since 2014, astir 8 cardinal Venezuelans person fled the country, driven by the systematic theft and mismanagement of the country’s lipid wealthiness by Maduro and his interior circle, alternatively of it being utilized to payment the Venezuelan people. He said the migration was “destabilising” the region.

According to a study by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees updated successful May 2025, astir 7.9 cardinal radical person near Venezuela. Analysts constituent retired that the punitive US sanctions played a important relation successful the illness of Venezuela’s economy, which worsened the migrant crisis.

Rubio connected Sunday reiterated that the US volition proceed to enforce an existing “oil quarantine”.

“We proceed with that quarantine, and we expect to spot that determination volition beryllium changes, not conscionable successful the mode the lipid manufacture is tally for the payment of the people, but besides truthful that they halt the cause trafficking,” Rubio told a section quality outlet.

Accusations that Venezuela is the main root of drugs entering the US are false, experts say.

What has Trump said?

Rubio’s caller statements disagree from what Trump has said astir Venezuela.

While Rubio said the US does not privation to govern Venezuela and is not funny successful its oil, Trump suggested antithetic ideas a time earlier.

During a quality league connected Saturday, Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, due and judicious transition” could beryllium carried out.

Trump added that US lipid companies would hole Venezuela’s “broken infrastructure” and “start making wealth for the country”.

So what’s the plan?

Elvira Dominguez-Redondo, a prof of planetary instrumentality astatine Kingston University successful the United Kingdom, told Al Jazeera that determination is nary ground to remark connected whether Washington has a coherent plan.

“From the outside, it is intolerable to cognize what the adjacent steps of the US volition be, peculiarly fixed the contradictory nationalist statements coming from elder figures.”

She added: “What I tin say, based connected observable facts, is that determination is nary full-scale subject penetration oregon ceremonial presumption of governmental authorization by the US. What appears to person occurred alternatively is the removal of Maduro portion allowing the remainder of the governing apparatus to stay successful place, nether conditions that are not publically known. Whether and however this was negotiated is unclear.”

Dominguez-Redondo said the US cannot legally invade and govern Venezuela, since this would magnitude to concern nether planetary law.

What’s the latest governmental concern successful Venezuela?

Sworn successful arsenic the interim person connected Monday, Rodriguez, 56, told the National Assembly, “I travel with symptom implicit the kidnapping of 2 heroes who are being held hostage: President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.”

“I curse to enactment tirelessly to warrant the peace, spiritual, economical and societal tranquillity of our people.”

A time earlier, she had offered to enactment with Trump and sought “respectful relations” successful a conciliatory message.

“We invitation the US authorities to collaborate with america connected an docket of practice oriented towards shared improvement wrong the model of planetary instrumentality to fortify lasting assemblage coexistence,” Rodriguez wrote connected societal media.

“President Donald Trump, our peoples and our portion merit bid and dialogue, not war.”

On Saturday, Rodriguez had appeared connected authorities tv alongside her brother, National Assembly main Jorge Rodriguez, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, declaring that Maduro was inactive Venezuela’s sole morganatic president.

Who are the cardinal leaders successful Venezuela’s Chavista government?

The cardinal leaders shaping Venezuela’s adjacent governmental section see acting President Rodriguez, who was portion of Maduro’s interior circle. Her member Jorge is besides an important leader.

The different cardinal leaders see Interior Minister Cabello – considered almighty successful the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela – and Defence Minister Lopez.

When asked what enactment the Venezuelan authorities and the subject could instrumentality against immoderate US intervention, Kingston University’s Dominguez-Redondo said, “In applicable terms, precise little.”

“If the Venezuelan subject were susceptible of mounting a meaningful response, it would apt person done truthful already.”

She pointed retired however the US engagement successful Venezuela did not statesman with the abduction of Maduro, but with attacks connected boats successful Venezuelan waters that the US alleged were carrying drugs.

“These were Venezuelan boats, and adjacent if they were engaged successful trafficking, the killings were extrajudicial executions. From a ineligible perspective, those incidents could person been characterised arsenic an equipped attack, perchance triggering a close of self-defence by Venezuela.

“Yet Venezuela did not respond militarily and constricted itself to condemnation. The escalation past continued done the seizure of Venezuelan oil, and finally, the seizure of Maduro. The series powerfully suggests that the Venezuelan subject lacks the capableness to respond effectively.”

Dominguez-Redondo added that it is besides improbable that different countries volition instrumentality enactment against the US engagement successful Venezuela.

“The lone assemblage susceptible of imposing sanctions that are legally binding connected each states is the UNSC. However, this assemblage cannot enactment against the US arsenic a imperishable subordinate with veto power. As a result, determination is nary credible mechanics susceptible of constraining the US successful the abbreviated term.”

Venezuela besides has Colectivos, which are decentralised, pro-government equipped civilian groups with aggregate idiosyncratic leaders.

Who are the main absorption leaders?

On Saturday, Trump ruled retired the anticipation of moving with absorption person and Nobel Peace Prize victor Maria Corina Machado, saying Machado does not person capable enactment successful Venezuela.

Machado, seen arsenic the astir credible adversary of Maduro’s left-wing government, is simply a subordinate of the Venezuelan National Assembly and a free-market advocate. She fled the state past month.

Another salient absorption person is Edmundo Gonzalez, who ran against Maduro successful the 2024 predetermination aft Machado was barred from running. He is presently based successful Spain aft fleeing Venezuela successful September 2024 pursuing an apprehension warrant.

After Maduro, who mightiness beryllium next?

After Maduro’s abduction, Trump threatened subject action against his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, adding helium believed the authorities successful Cuba, too, was apt to autumn soon.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters connected committee Air Force One that Venezuela and Colombia were “very sick” and called Petro “a sick antheral who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States”.

“And he’s not going to beryllium doing it precise long. Let maine archer you.”

When asked if helium meant a US cognition against Colombia, Trump said, “Sounds bully to me.”

Petro retorted successful a bid of posts connected X connected Sunday, saying helium would “take up arms” for his state if necessary.

“I person tremendous spot successful my people,” helium said. “And that is wherefore I person asked the radical to support the president from immoderate illegitimate convulsive enactment against him.”