Video: “It’s our national interest,” US defends Maduro capture, brushes off ally backlash
Abdullateef Fowewe
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio staunchly defended America’s controversial capture of Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro during a joint press event with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, dismissing a reporter’s pointed question as an attempt to sow discord.
The exchange unfolded as Rubio addressed concerns from international partners over the operation, which he framed squarely as a matter of U.S. national security.
“I think you asked him a question in order to, like, see if you can get him against us, or something,” Rubio shot back at the reporter.
“A lot of countries didn’t like what we did in Venezuela. That’s okay. That was in our national interest.”
Pushing back on potential friction with allies, Rubio emphasised pragmatism in global partnerships.
“I am sure there is something he will do one day that we don’t like, and we will say, ‘Hey, we don’t like you did this’ so what? That doesn’t mean we aren’t going to be friends, not going to be partners,” he added.
He underscored the operation’s success despite the backlash. “We have very close allies that didn’t like what we did in that regard. I can tell you what — it was successful. It was necessary,” Rubio concluded.
