US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to warn on Wednesday that oil-rich Venezuela’s leader will suffer the fate of US-deposed predecessor Nicolas Maduro if she fails to comply with US wishes. Delcy Rodriguez, who was vice president and is now acting president, “is well aware of the fate of Maduro,” Rubio would tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to prepared testimony. “It is our belief that her own self-interest aligns with advancing our key objectives,” Rubio was to say. The United States and most other Western nations did not recognise Maduro as legitimate after elections that international observers said were full of irregularities. But she has also worked to encourage US oil investment and said on Tuesday that the United States was unblocking sanctioned Venezuelan funds.

Source: Punch January 28, 2026 08:33 UTC