"His capture has nothing to do with oil"/ Marco Rubio clarifies speculation about Maduro's arrest

2026-01-04 18:09:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

"His capture has nothing to do with oil"/ Marco Rubio clarifies

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed speculation that the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was intended to make it easier for US oil companies to make deals after he was gone.

"What happened here is that we arrested a drug trafficker who will now stand trial in the United States for the crimes he has committed against our people for 15 years," Rubio said when asked if this action was done to favor oil companies.

"As for oil... the (Venezuelan) oil industry has been completely destroyed. It has destroyed all those oil fields that used to produce a lot of wealth for their country and their people. These things are ruined. They are bankrupt. They need to be reinvested, it is clear that they do not have the capacity to revive that industry. They need investment from private companies that will only invest under certain guarantees and conditions," Rubio said.

On ABC's "This Week," Rubio said he has not yet had direct communications with oil companies, but that he has spoken with the secretaries of the Interior and Energy Departments, who will be in contact with the companies, and he anticipates dramatic interest from Western companies and non-Russian, non-Chinese companies.

"Our refineries on the United States Gulf Coast are the best in terms of refining this heavy crude oil ," Rubio said.

"And there has actually been a shortage of heavy crude oil around the world, so I think there would be tremendous demand and interest from private industry if they were given the space to do this ," he added. /CNA