Rubio says 'we are farther along than we thought in three weeks' in Venezuela

Описание: (28 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

POOL
Washington, DC - 28 January 2026
(Thumbnail: Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to explain President Donald Trump's policy toward Venezuela, at the Capitol in Washington. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite 26028580248528)
1. Pan, Secretary of State Marco Rubio starts testifying
2. Various, protester shouts and is escorted from the room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State:
"Look, we can talk in more detail about all of these things. Suffice it to say, I'm not here to claim to you this is gonna be easy or simple. I am saying that in three and a half, almost four weeks, we are much further along on this project than we thought we would be, given the complexities of it going into it. And I recognize that it won't be easy. I mean, look, at the end of it, we are dealing with people over there that have spent most of their lives living in a gangster paradise. So it's not gonna be like from one day to the next, we're gonna have this thing turn around overnight. But I think we're making good and decent progress. It is the best plan and we are certainly better off today in Venezuela than we were four weeks ago. And I think and hope and expect that we'll be better off in three months, in six months, in nine months than we would have been had Maduro still been there. "
STORYLINE:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is defending the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela to U.S. Senators, saying "we are certainly better off today in Venezuela than we were four weeks ago."

Before he could speak, a protester disrupted the hearing.

A man stood up in the hearing room, holding a sign that read "Hands off Venezuela," just as Rubio started his opening statement.

He was quickly detained by Capitol police officers and removed from the room.

In prepared testimony for a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio says the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela and that its interim leaders are cooperating, but he notes that the Trump administration would not rule out using additional force if needed following a raid to capture former President Nicolás Maduro early this month.

"I am saying that in three and a half, almost four weeks, we are much further along on this project than we thought we would be given the complexities of it going into it," Rubio said.

He insisted: "We're making good and decent progress."

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