The Pentagon chief says the change in “dynamics” in the country will bring benefits to the US in terms of “security and prosperity”
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has indicated that President Donald Trump will be the one to decide “the terms” under which Venezuela will be governed, following the US attack on positions in Caracas and the capture of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
“We set the terms (of the Venezuelan government). President Trump sets the terms. And, ultimately, he will decide how that will be implemented,” he said in an interview with CBS News.
The Pentagon chief did not specify how this governance would be carried out, nor did he rule out a future presence of US troops on Venezuelan territory. Trump himself has already indicated that the United States will “take charge” of the situation.
Similarly, the White House occupant has stated that there will be no US military presence in Venezuela if the country’s vice president, Delcy RodrÃguez, “does what we want.”
For Hegseth, the US intervention “means that drugs will stop circulating” and that the “oil that was stolen from us will be returned.” “It means that foreign countries have no place in our hemisphere. So, ultimately, we will control what happens next thanks to this courageous decision,” he added.
He also argued that the attack against Venezuela did not need to be approved by the US Congress since the US forces were acting against an “indicted individual who will ultimately have to face justice.”
This is a position already defended by the US president after House Democrats introduced two resolutions on war powers in mid-December, following the Trump administration’s declaration of the Venezuelan government as a “terrorist organization.”
BENEFITS FOR THE US
Pete Hegseth assured that the change in “dynamics” in Venezuela will bring benefits to the United States in terms of “security and prosperity.” “Venezuela has a long history of being a rich and prosperous country,” he added.
“In this bold and courageous action by President Trump, nothing is off the table. So what happens next will be decided by the Venezuelan people, but ultimately, the United States will benefit in terms of security and prosperity,” the Pentagon chief declared.
The Secretary of Defense asserted that Trump’s decision to intervene militarily in Venezuelan territory is “exactly the opposite” of other foreign policy actions carried out by previous administrations, in which “blood and treasure were wasted without achieving anything in return.”
“The people (of Venezuela) have been plundered by terrible leadership. We can do both: help them and help the United States in the Western Hemisphere by restoring the Monroe Doctrine. Last night, peace through strength was demonstrated with our allies,” the American politician affirmed.
