Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference in Washington, DC, on Wednesday that Venezuela’s economy must be stabilized, and a process of political reconciliation completed, before a successor to deposed narco-terrorist dictator Nicolás Maduro can be chosen through free and fair elections.

Speaking alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Rubio [laid out](https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/01/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-and-secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-remarks-to-the-press/) a three-step process of “stabilization, recovery, and transition” for Venezuela.

“Step one is the stabilization of the country. We don’t want it descending into chaos. Part of that stabilization, and the reason why we understand and believe that we have the strongest leverage possible, is our quarantine,” he said.

Rubio pointed to Wednesday’s [dramatic seizure](https://www.breitbart.com/news/us-seizes-russia-flagged-oil-tanker-chased-to-north-atlantic/) of two “shadow fleet” sanctions-evading oil tankers – one of them attempting to elude arrest by flying a Russian flag – as evidence that America’s “quarantine” of sanctioned oil provided enough leverage to begin the restoration of Venezuela. He said the U.S. would be very careful to ensure the proceeds from oil sales did not fall into the hands of Maduro’s cronies.

Rubio: Democracy in Venezuela Will Happen After Recovery