The United States government has issued a clear warning to Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s powerful Interior Minister and key figure in the late Nicolás Maduro regime, urging him to cooperate with Washington’s demands or face consequences similar to those faced by Maduro, who was captured by US forces and taken to New York to face charges including narco-terrorism. US intermediaries have communicated to Cabello that defiance could make him a prime target in the unfolding political transition.
The warning comes amid a fragile and rapidly evolving political landscape in Venezuela following Maduro’s removal. While Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s deputy, has assumed leadership and adopted a defiant posture against the US, the administration in Washington is reportedly concerned that figures like Cabello could act as spoilers to stability. Cabello is a hardline loyalist credited with controlling key security forces long accused of abuses and repression, which has made him both influential and controversial.
US officials, according to reporting, see Cabello as a temporary power broker who must be brought into alignment with US interests—particularly maintaining order and facilitating a transition—while they simultaneously explore options for removing him from power and potentially pushing him into exile. There is also focus on Vladimir Padrino, another senior figure facing US drug trafficking indictments and linked to the military, whom US policymakers view as essential to preventing a power vacuum due to his command of the armed forces.
However, this strategy carries risks. Cabello’s strongman image and ties to pro-government paramilitary groups known as colectivos could trigger unrest if he is openly targeted, complicating US objectives to avoid widespread chaos. The US appears to be attempting to balance short-term cooperation from loyalist elites with long-term goals of political change, even as the interim Venezuelan government publicly rejects the notion of foreign control and reasserts national sovereignty.
The broader context is one of heightened tension: the Trump administration has signalled a willingness to rely on elements of Maduro’s regime to manage day-to-day stability while pushing a political transition, but international and domestic reactions remain deeply divided, and Venezuela’s future leadership and governance structure continue to be uncertain.
