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The United States hopes that Venezuela won't be "relying on Cubans and Russians" after a peaceful transition of power takes place in the South American country, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview with Fox Business, Sputnik reports.

"Russia is there today. The Cubans are there today. We are very hopeful that when this peaceful transition takes place, which is our ultimate objective, then the Venezuelan people will want it to be sovereign and independent, not relying on Cubans and Russians for their security or their well-being," Pompeo said in the interview released late on Wednesday.

Pompeo continued by noting that Lebanese movement Hezbollah, which has close relations to Iran, and is considered as an adversary by the United States, was also active in Venezuela.

"People don’t recognise that Hezbollah has active cells — the Iranians are impacting the people of Venezuela and throughout South America. We have an obligation to take down that risk for America," Pompeo explained.

The secretary of state noted he would raise this issue during an upcoming ministerial conference on the Middle East in Warsaw.