As Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, languish behind bars, Marco Rubio lays out a plan for control of Venezuela.
The plan includes US forces boarding a Russian tanker and a second vessel. After the Secretary of State unveiled his proposal for managing Venezuela, Donald Trump had a phone call with President Gustavo Petro of Colombia as tensions escalate between the two leaders.
Rubio laid out his plan for Venezuela’s near-future hours after US forces seized the two oil tankers on Wednesday, including a Russian-flagged vessel. Now the plan includes selling up to 50 million barrels of seized oil from the South American country and will now decide how the proceeds will be distributed.
Meanwhile, the seizure of the Russian oil tanker has escalated a confrontation with Moscow following the ouster of its ally, Maduro. The US military has issued a statement that forces had “seized” the vessel in the North Atlantic, somewhere between Scotland and Iceland, for violating US sanctions. However, the ship, that was not carrying oil, had previously attempted to sail to Venezuela to collect its crude and had been eluding US forces for more than two weeks.
Furthermore, Russia’s Ministry of Transport has confirmed that the US military had boarded its vessel, known recently as the Bella 1, and now renamed the Marinera, in international waters. Moscow also added a statement that their contact with the ship had been lost.
Our health care system is collapsing. Housing is unaffordable. 60% of people are living paycheck to paycheck.
Instead of trying to “run” Venezuela, Trump might try to do a better job running the United States. pic.twitter.com/4FhKQ6r0bh
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 6, 2026
In a separate statement, the military said it had “apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker,” named the M Sophia, in international waters in the Caribbean, where it had allegedly been “conducting illicit activities,” and the ship was being escorted to the US.
Meanwhile, in Washington, Rubio outlined a three-step plan for Venezuela, stressing to reporters that the Trump administration was “not just winging it.” He plan includes stabilizing the country by seizing and selling around 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil, with the US, not the interim Venezuelan leadership, in charge of how the money will be disbursed.
Rubio’s second step was to ensure that “American, Western and other companies have access to the Venezuelan market in a way that is fair. Moreover, his third step, one he didn’t elaborate on, is “one of transition,” including the integration of opposition parties.
“We feel like we’re moving forward here in a very positive way,” he said.
As reported by the Washington Post, Petróleos de Venezuela, the country’s state-run oil company, on Monday confirmed for the first time the negotiation of a “sale” of crude oil to the US. Moreover, the company said in a statement on social media that it was using “frameworks similar to those currently in effect with international companies, including Chevron, and based on a strictly commercial transaction.”
When Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, was asked whether and how the US would run Venezuela as Trump had vowed, told reporters that the administration was working “in close coordination with” Venezuela’s interim authorities. She added that “their decisions are going to be dictated by the United States of America.”
Meanwhile, in an about-face from Donald Trump’s recent comments about Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday evening that it had been a “great honor” to speak with Mr. Petro by phone, who had “called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had.” This about-face comes amid escalating tensions between Trump and Petro.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello stated that Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were both injured in the attack. Flores told the US attackers at the time, “If you are going to take my husband, you have to take me.”
Monday saw Flores in a Manhattan courtroom with her husband for their arraignment with her face bruised and bandaged from the brutal treatment she received. She and her husband pleaded not guilty to federal charges.
Cabello added that 100 people were killed in the US attacks on Caracas, with a similar number of people injured. This was the first time the Venezuelan government had publically stated a death count. Earlier reports had said the number was at least 80.
