Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a press conference where he addressed the issues of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and drug trafficking. The head of diplomacy at one point responded to a journalist in Spanish, stating that “the Maduro regime is illegitimate.”

Marco Rubio's press conference was his first since assuming office, and he dedicated two hours to answering journalists' questions, some of which he asked in Spanish.

“The most important threat is these terrorist groups.”

One of the topics he addressed at the beginning of his press conference was Venezuela, where he was questioned about the attacks on vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking, in which more than one hundred people have died so far.

“The most important threat in the region is these criminal terrorist groups. It is the threat that Colombia faces, the root of the violence in Ecuador, in Mexico, throughout Central America,” Rubio stated in Spanish.

“We have governments that cooperate in our efforts against this: Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic—I'm not leaving anyone out, but there are many that "They cooperate."

The US Secretary of State indicated that they have a very good relationship with several Latin American countries, including Mexico, which he said "is doing more right now on the issue of security than ever before in its history. There is still much to be done, but we have cooperation."

"It cooperates with criminal elements"

Rubio stated that the government of Nicolas Maduro is not legitimate and also declared that the South American country cooperates with criminal groups.

"Venezuela has an illegitimate regime, which simply does not cooperate with the US but openly cooperates with criminal elements. For example, the ELN and the FARC cooperate openly from Venezuelan territory," he asserted at the conference.He confirmed that “drug trafficking entities operate openly and with the cooperation of the Maduro regime to send drugs, such as cocaine, to the U.S. through the Caribbean, creating a very serious security situation in many countries.” He stated that the current U.S. relationship with Venezuela “is intolerable” and that they not only “cooperate but participate in activities that threaten U.S. security,” so “nothing will prevent” the forces deployed in the Caribbean from enforcing the blockade against sanctioned oil tankers. He emphasized that Operation Southern Spear aims at the security of the hemisphere, “we want to make sure there are no more drug-running boats.” “The efforts against drug-trafficking ships leaving Venezuela have received a lot of attention, as have our efforts in the Pacific Ocean, where there are ongoing initiatives, but the difference is that we have the cooperation of friendly countries,” he noted. “Venezuela is a regime illegitimate”

He also said he does not consider Maduro's call for the Colombian military to join Venezuela in the event of a US attack to be “serious.” “No, we don't see it as something serious in terms of involving the Colombian Armed Forces,” Rubio responded in Spanish.

And he repeated that, “Venezuela is an illegitimate regime,” which cooperates with “terrorist groups including Hezbollah, Iran, among others.”

Regarding Cuba, Rubio noted that any US government would like to see radical change in Cuba and reiterated his criticism of the “terrorist” and “incompetent” government that has “destroyed” the island in its more than 65 years in power.