Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been delivered to the federal courthouse in Manhattan for his arraignment. Maduro, who was kidnapped along with his wife during a US raid on Caracas on Saturday, is accused of narco-trafficking and weapons offenses – charges he has denied.
In total, Maduro is facing charges on four counts, including “narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices against the United States.”
Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, is also expected to appear before court. The case has been assigned to US District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who has presided over a number of major cases, including the Harvey Weinstein trial and several cases related to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Meanwhile, after carrying out a regime-change operation in the oil-rich South American country, US President Donald Trump has threatened Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, with a “bigger price” than the one paid by Maduro.
He added that the US needs “total access… to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.” Trump also said that Washington will “run” Venezuela “until such time as a proper transition can take place.”
“We’re in charge,” Trump reiterated on Sunday, noting that Rodriguez was “cooperating” with the US.
Moscow has condemned the US “aggression,” and lamented that “ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism.”
05 January 2026
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has called the US abduction of Nicolas Maduro a “kidnapping.”
“Great powers today literally do whatever they want,” Fico said in a statement published on social media.
“Unfortunately, the UN is on its knees, and the UN Security Council without reform and the consistent strengthening of its powers is completely toothless,” he said.
“We can’t do anything. We just watch in disbelief as American elite military units kidnap the president of the sovereign country of Venezuela.”
Photos show Nicolas Maduro being transported to court in Manhattan under heavy guard.
Another clip shared by Fox News showed Maduro being escorted to a helicopter to be transported to court.
A video filmed from a helicopter shows Maduro limping and handcuffed as he’s escorted from an armored truck to another vehicle while being transferred to stand before the court.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to say whether the US attack on Venezuela violated international law, stressing that Britain’s priority for the country remains a “peaceful transition to democracy.”
Maduro could face the death penalty if convicted of violating the Controlled Substances Act “as part of a continuing criminal enterprise,” an analysis by the New York Post suggests.
A motorcade carrying Maduro has been seen leaving the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, as the Venezuelan leader is set to stand before the court later in the day, CNN has reported.
Separately, NY Post reporter Kevin Sheehan shared a video of what looked like the motorcade, which included at least one armored vehicle.
The US is acting like “a rogue state” and “an arrogant empire” by claiming Venezuela “belongs to us” and must do what it is told, Colombian-American activist Yhamir Chabur told RT.
He described the Trump administration as “very naive” for believing it could dictate terms to Venezuelans. “These are the people of Simon Bolivar, the people of Hugo Chavez, who won’t bow down to the empire,” he said, predicting events would “be very interesting” in the coming days.
China’s Foreign Ministry has condemned America’s “blatant use of force,” warning that its kidnapping raid on Venezuela “seriously violates international law and basic norms in international relations.”
It noted that Washington’s military intervention “infringes upon Venezuela’s sovereignty and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region,” while calling on all parties to respect Venezuela’s right to “independently choose its development path.”
The ministry said it supports the UN Security Council holding an emergency meeting to discuss the Venezuela crisis, adding that Beijing is ready to work with the international community to “firmly defend the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international justice.”
The Russian Embassy in Venezuela has “strongly advised” Russian citizens against travelling to the country due to the “armed aggression of the United States” against Caracas and the risk of further attacks.
Switzerland’s Federal Council has ordered that any assets held in the country by Maduro or individuals associated with him be immediately frozen, saying the move is intended “to prevent an outflow of assets.”
It added that the measure “does not affect members of the current Venezuelan government,” noting that if future legal proceedings show the funds were illicitly acquired, Switzerland will seek to ensure they “benefit the Venezuelan people.” The asset freeze takes effect immediately and will remain in force for four years unless lifted earlier.
France does not approve of the approach used to remove Maduro from power, President Emmanuel Macron has said during a cabinet meeting, as cited by government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon.
“We defend international law and the freedom of peoples. The method that was used is neither supported nor approved,” Macron said, adding that he supports “popular sovereignty,” which he said was “expressed in 2024” during elections in Venezuela.
Macron was referring to the Venezuelan opposition’s claims that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had won the vote. However, the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner with around 52% of the vote.
Trump has refrained from backing the candidacy of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as a potential interim leader for Venezuela because she decided to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award the US leader had apparently wanted for himself, the Washington Post has reported, citing sources.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one source close to the White House has said, describing Machado’s decision as an “ultimate sin” in Trump’s eyes.
The Trump administration is hastily taking measures to “establish a pliant interim government” in Venezuela, CNN has reported, citing US officials. The network’s sources claim that Washington is “prioritizing administrative stability and repairing the country’s oil infrastructure over an immediate turn to democracy.”
Another facet of the plan is reportedly convincing US oil companies to return to Venezuela, the report said.
31% of Americans strongly oppose the US running Venezuela following the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro, while 10% somewhat oppose it, according to a YouGov poll released on Sunday.
19% strongly support the idea, while 15% somewhat support it. Another 25% of those polled said they were not sure.
By party affiliation, 52% of Democrats said they strongly oppose US control of Venezuela, compared with 35% of independents and 7% of Republicans. Strong support was highest among Republicans at 37%, versus 11% of independents and 9% of Democrats.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said recent world events, including the crisis in Venezuela, were a sign that “the liberal world order is breaking down,” noting that US President Donald Trump’s election has delivered the “final blow.”
Venezuela has asked the US to reopen its embassy in Caracas, and Washington is “thinking about it,” Trump has said.
Venezuela and the US severed diplomatic relations in 2019 after Washington recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, which resulted in the closure of its embassy in Caracas. Since then, the US has operated without an embassy in Venezuela, handling a limited number of diplomatic and consular matters through its embassy in Colombia.
Trump has said he doesn’t think America’s operation in Venezuela will fray Washington’s ties with China’s Xi Jinping. “I have a very good relationship. We have the power of tariffs, and he has other powers on us,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
China has condemned the US raid on Caracas, saying it violated international law and threatened regional peace.
Venezuela has paid tribute to 32 Cuban soldiers killed during the US attack on Venezuelan soil, describing their deaths as the result of a “criminal and disgraceful” assault.
”These personnel were operating within the framework of cooperation between sovereign states and were carrying out tasks related to institutional protection and defense. Their actions were distinguished by bravery, discipline, and an unbreakable commitment to peace and regional stability,” Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said in a statement, expressing the country’s “deepest solidarity” with the government and people of Cuba.
Holding new election in Venezuela is not a priority, President Trump has indicated, saying the US is currently “dealing with the people that just got sworn in,” in apparent reference to interim president Delcy Rodriguez.
Venezuela has vast untapped natural resources, including steel, aluminum and critical minerals, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has said.
“So you have steel, you have minerals – all the critical minerals. They have a great mining history that’s gone rusty,” Lutnick told reporters when asked what US corporations besides oil companies could be “dealing with Venezuela.”
“It was once upon a time one of the great economies and cultures of the world, and it was destroyed, and now President Trump is going to fix it,” he said.
New photos circulating online appear to show Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in New York, under escort by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
President Trump has not ruled out a military operation against Colombia, labeling the country “very sick.”
“Venezuela is very sick. Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you,” Trump told reporters.
When asked if he was referring to a Venezuela-style “operation” against Colombia, Trump replied, “Sounds good to me.”
Major US oil companies craving to go into Venezuela to repair infrastructure and invest in oil production, President Trump has claimed.
“They want to go in so badly,” Trump told reporters, adding that the companies would “represent us well.”
Washington was acting in “self-defense” against a “drug kingpin…threatening to invade its neighbors,” US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz has claimed, defending the military raid in Venezuela ahead of Monday’s Security Council meeting.
“Was President Trump just going to let that status quo continue? He gave Maduro a chance, but he took decisive action in the interests of the United States,” Waltz told Fox. “You’re going to hear a lot of hand-wringing on Article 2 of the UN Charter, which deals with sovereignty, and I will remind everyone of Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which is a nation’s inherent right to self-defense.”
President Trump has warned that Cuba “looks like it’s ready to fall,” with the country’s economy facing collapse after the cutoff of Venezuelan oil supplies.
“Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela… they’re not getting any of it,” Trump said.
Venezuela has called on the United States to pursue dialogue and cooperation instead of confrontation, reaffirming its commitment to peace. In a message addressed to Washington and the international community, Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said Caracas seeks “balanced and respectful international relations” based on sovereign equality and international law.
“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” she said.
“President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war,” Rodriguez added, saying this had “always been President Nicolas Maduro’s message.”
The government in Havana has said that 32 Cubans were killed during the US raid in Venezuela “after fierce resistance, in direct combat.”
“As a result of the criminal attack perpetrated by the United States government against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela... 32 Cubans lost their lives in combat actions,” according to a statement published by state-run newspaper Granma.
Havana said Cuban forces were carrying out missions at the request of Venezuelan authorities, and that they “fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism,” promising to organize events to pay tribute to those killed.
The statement said the deaths came as a result of “another criminal act of aggression and state terrorism,” saying the fallen combatants embodied “the solidarity of millions of compatriots.”
Donald Trump has described Venezuela as a “dead country” that must be “brought back” to life, under US control.
“They took Venezuela away. You can’t do that with me,” Trump told reporters. “We have to bring it back… We’re going to have to have big investments by the oil companies to bring back the infrastructure. And the oil companies are ready to go.”
Venezuela’s newly-appointed interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, must provide the United States with “total access” to the country’s natural resources, President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country,” Trump said, reiterating a warning to Rodriguez if she disobeys.
“I just say that she will face a situation probably worse than Maduro, because, you know, Maduro gave up immediately,” Trump said.
The raid on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was highly dangerous, President Trump said in praising US troops for “incredible” bravery. The operation was carried out by the elite Delta Force unit without any American deaths, though a handful of troops sustained wounds. ”They are all in good shape,” Trump said.
”They got off the helicopter and bullets were flying all over the place. As you know, one of the helicopters got hit pretty badly but we got everything back and nobody killed,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One.
“So we were actually — we were so effective, and it was so fast and violent,” he added. “It was very violent. But we were so effective, he raised his hands, he gave up.”
Armed demonstrators affiliated with pro-government colectivos have also gathered in Caracas in support of President Nicolas Maduro, according to El Tiempo. The group assembled outside the Vice Presidency of the Republic, a few blocks from the Palacio de Miraflores, the seat of Venezuela’s government.
Venezuelan opposition politician Edmundo Gonzalez, who has been living in exile in Spain since losing his country’s 2024 presidential election, has said America’s abduction of Nicolas Maduro marked “an inflection point in the recent history of Venezuela,” but stressed that it was “not enough.”
Calling himself Venezuela’s president and commander-in-chief, Gonzalez urged his country’s army and security forces “to enforce and comply with the mandate of the people” and bring him to power.
Even those Venezuelans who “never supported President Nicolas Maduro” are taking to the streets in protest, RT correspondent Murad Gazdiev reports from Caracas.
“People here remain unbroken,” he said, noting that locals “cannot accept” the US attack on their country.
President Trump has said the United States must “restore law and order” in Venezuela before a democratic election can take place, again dismissing the idea of Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado as a potential leader.
“I don’t think she’s got the support of the people that she has to have,” Trump told the New York Post. “She could only win an election if I did support her,” he added, arguing that the US should instead run Venezuela to “take advantage of the economics of what they have — which is valuable oil and valuable other things.”
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Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has argued that US military action in Venezuela “does not serve the American people” and instead benefits big corporations, banks, and oil executives.
“Americans celebrated the ‘liberation’ of Iraq after Saddam, and Libya after Gaddafi,” Greene said. “This is the same Washington playbook we’re sick of,” she told NBC’s Meet the Press.
During an extraordinary meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which unites 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Caracas condemned the violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty and the abduction of its president, Nicolas Maduro, and First Lady Cilia Flores.
“Today it is Venezuela that faces this imperialist aggression; tomorrow it could be another sovereign people of our America,” the statement said, calling for “unanimous rejection” of armed intervention and immediate action.
Demonstrators have gathered outside the detention center in New York where President Nicolas Maduro is being held, protesting against America’s military intervention in Venezuela with banners reading, “No blood for oil.”
“We won’t pay for war,” protesters were heard chanting.
RT contributors shared more footage from protests in Caracas, showing demonstrators holding figurines of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, as well as placards demanding the release of the Venezuelan leader.
Thousands of people are protesting in the streets of Caracas, waving national flags and chanting slogans backing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
“Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up,” the demonstrators are chanting, according to videos shared by RT’s senior correspondent Murad Gazdiev.
Rosines Chavez, the daughter of late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, has addressed a pro-government march calling for the release of Nicolas Maduro.
“With anger in our hearts, but above all with commitment and loyalty as Venezuelans, we are across Venezuela demanding that our sovereignty be respected by the world,” she said. “May our independence be respected. May they return us to our president.”
Crowds of Venezuelans have taken to the streets of Caracas, demanding the US release Maduro, waving national flags and holding portraits of the Venezuelan leader.
Maduro’s dance on state television to the words “no crazy war” were the final straw that pushed Trump to go ahead with his military intervention in Venezuela, according to the New York Times.
The public dance, and “other displays of nonchalance” persuaded some Trump administration officials that the Venezuelan leader was not taking the US military buildup seriously and “mocking them,” the newspaper wrote, citing two anonymous sources.
All EU members with the exception of Hungary have called for restraint by all actors in the aftermath of the US attack on Venezuela.
“The European Union calls for calm and restraint by all actors, to avoid escalation and to ensure a peaceful solution to the crisis,” 26 EU member nations and the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said in a joint statement.
“We are in close contact with the United States, as well as regional and international partners to support and facilitate dialogue with all parties involved, leading to a negotiated, democratic, inclusive and peaceful solution to the crisis, led by Venezuelans.”
The statement did not mention either condemnation or support.
Kallas had already faced criticism over her official statement on Saturday, regarding the US attack on the oil-rich South American country and the abduction of its elected president.
Nicolas Maduro is expected to be arraigned at around noon EST (5pm GMT) on Monday in a US District Court in Lower Manhattan, multiple news outlets have reported.
The case has reportedly been assigned to US District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein. The 92-year-old Bill Clinton-appointed veteran of the bench has presided over a number of major cases, including the Harvey Weinstein trial and several cases related to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi has published a joint statement from the DOJ, FBI and the DEA congratulating the agencies on their cooperation with the Department of War in the mission of capturing Nicolas Maduro.
“This operation required months of coordination, detailed planning, and seamless execution across multiple components of the federal government,” the statement said.
Multiple agencies coordinated with the Department of War and DOJ to bring Maduro and his wife to the US to face trial, it said.
“The United States pursued every lawful option to resolve this matter peacefully,” it claimed, without giving further details.
Vice President J.D. Vance has replied to critics of the US operation in Venezuela.
“You see a lot claims that Venezuela has nothing to do with drugs because most of the fentanyl comes from elsewhere,” he wrote in a lengthy message on X.
Vance argued that “fentanyl isn’t the only drug in the world” and noted that while cocaine was the main outbound narcotic smuggled from Venezuela, “cocaine is bad too!”
“Yes, a lot of fentanyl is coming out of Mexico” and it continues to be a “focus” of US policy, as well as the reason why Trump shut the border, Vance said.
He also argued that Caracas “expropriated” US oil property in Venezuela.
The death count from the US attack on Venezuela has risen to 80, the New York Times has reported, citing a senior Venezuelan official.
This figure includes both civilians and members of the security forces, and the toll may rise further, the official reportedly said.
The governments of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain have condemned the unilateral US military actions in Venezuela in a joint statement.
They stressed that the attack contravened the fundamental principles of international law and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states as enshrined in the UN Charter.
The nations maintained that the US actions constitute “a very dangerous precedent” for the security of the region, and noted that Latin America and the Caribbean needs to remain a zone of peace. They also called for unity from nations in the region “in the face of any action that puts regional stability at risk.”
“We express our concern at any attempt at government control, administration or external appropriation of natural or strategic resources, which is incompatible with international law and threatens the political, economic and social stability of the region.”
Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has argued that the US abduction of Nicolas Maduro has given Russia carte blanche to capture Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.
In an interview with RT, Correa blasted the US kidnapping of the Venezuelan leader, calling it a “return to barbarism” that showed “contempt” for national sovereignty and international law and set “a dreadful precedent.”
Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin “has every right to kidnap Zelensky,” and Chinese President “Xi Jinping to kidnap the President of Taiwan,” he said.
“It is clear that the intervention in Venezuela is to appropriate the largest proven oil reserves in the world.”
“American oil companies that financed [Donald Trump’s] campaign, and to avoid looking too bad he says it’s also for the well-being of the Venezuelan people, but it’s obvious,” Correa contended.
The US “needs” the Danish Arctic territory of Greenland, President Donald Trump told The Atlantic when asked if he would be willing to take military action against the island as he did for Venezuela.
“We do need Greenland, absolutely,” he said, claiming that the Danish territory was “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.”
He said that others in his administration would have to decide whether Greenland requires a military intervention.
“I really don’t know… But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense,” he said.
President Donald Trump has warned that Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez could be next after Nicolas Maduro, who is now in a New York jail after being abducted by US troops.
“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” he told The Atlantic in a phone interview, arguing that he will not stand for what he called Rodriguez’s defiant rejection.
He argued that the US needs to control the Western Hemisphere, but decried the Monroe Doctrine, instead calling his approach the “Donroe Doctrine.”
“It’s not hemisphere. It’s the country. It’s individual countries,” he said.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric has condemned the US “military actions” against Venezuela, arguing that now other nations could be the targets of Washington’s regime change operations.
“The announcement that a foreign state intends to exercise direct control over Venezuelan territory… and continue military operations until a political transition is imposed… sets an extremely dangerous precedent for regional and global stability,” he said in a speech.
“Sovereignty... It’s not a formality. It is the essential guarantee that protects countries from external wills, arbitrariness, and the law of the strongest,” Boric said.
“Today it’s Venezuela, tomorrow it could be anywhere else.”
The Venezuelan parliament will return to work as normal on Monday, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez has said.
The Venezuelan Defense Ministry has condemned the “cowardly kidnapping” of Constitutional Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife by US forces.
The abduction was carried out “after the cold-blooded murder of a large part of his security detail, soldiers, and innocent civilians,” the ministry said in a statement.
It added that the military supports interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez and her state of emergency decree, and will activate a “Full Operational Readiness Plan” to work with the police to guard the freedom, independence and sovereignty of the country.
Greed for Venezuela’s vast oil, rare earth and other mineral reserves was at the heart of the US regime-change operation in the South American nation, according to historian and RT contributor Tarik Cyril Amar.
In his op-ed piece for RT, he details President Donald Trump’s wider push in Latin America and the geopolitical implications of the new “Donroe Doctrine.”
Despite a “thousand reasons” to condemn the left-wing regime of Nicolas Maduro, the US regime-change operation undercuts the fundamental, non-negotiable sovereignty of nations, veteran French right-wing politician Marine Le Pen has said.
“The sovereignty of states is never negotiable, regardless of their size, their power, or their continent. It is inviolable and sacred,” she wrote on X, arguing that dismissing the principle would be a “mortal peril.”
“To renounce this principle today for Venezuela, for any state, would be to accept our own enslavement tomorrow.”
The broader political implications of the US attack on Venezuela and capture of its democratically elected president, and the future of the oil-rich South American country: read the analysis of Russian experts as compiled by RT.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called the Cuban government “a huge problem” for the US when asked whether Washington’s next target after Venezuela could be the Caribbean island nation.
“I think they’re in a lot of trouble,” he told NBC News, but declined to elaborate on what President Donald Trump’s next steps could be.
“I don't think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime.”
Nicolas Maduro’s son, Congressman Nicolas Maduro Guerra, has called on the Venezuelan people to take to the streets in a show of defiance against the US aggression.
“January 4th and 5th... We’re going to the streets, we’re going to rally our people, we’re going to unite,” he told lawmakers in Caracas.
“Let’s rally around our political and military struggle with maximum unity… Do they want to sow discord? They won't succeed. Do they want to sow doubt? They won't succeed.”
Marco Rubio has said that the US will make sure that the Venezuelan government now pursues Washington’s interests.
“We expect to see changes in Venezuela… the most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interest of the United States,” he told NBC News when asked if the US now runs the country.
“We are not going to be able to allow in our hemisphere a country that becomes a crossroads for the activities of all of our adversaries around the world.”
Marco Rubio has said that he will be “very involved” in running Venezuelan policy now that Nicolas Maduro has been captured by US forces.
“Obviously, I'm very involved in this... as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, very involved in all these elements,” he told NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’.
“The Department of War plays a very important role here, along with the Department of Justice,” he added.
“The goal of the policy is to see changes in Venezuela that are beneficial to the United States, first and foremost.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed that Washington’s actions in Venezuela and Caribbean, including the abduction of Nicolas Maduro, are part of a “war against drugs.”
“It’s not a war against Venezuela. We are enforcing American laws with regards to oil sanctions,” he told NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’.
The military operations in the oil-rich South American country and wider region are backed by US laws, he claimed.
“We have sanctioned entities. We go to court. We get a warrant. We seize those boats with oil, and that will continue,” he said, adding that the strikes against vessels will continue.
The US invasion of Venezuela stems from America’s belief that “they can do what they want because its in the name of the so-called democracy,” Andrey Telizhenko, former advisor to the prosecutor general of Ukraine and ex-diplomat, has told RT.
“Over the last 50 years there were more than 50 conflicts around the globe run by the US, the CIA and Western regimes,” Telizhenko stressed.
German opposition politician Sahra Wagenknecht has blasted Chancellor Friedrich Merz for saying that evaluating the legality of the US intervention into Venezuela is a “complex” issue and will take time.
“What double standards! Merz refuses to condemn the US state-sponsored terrorist attack on a sovereign state, including the kidnapping of its head of state as a violation of international law. With its blind obedience to the US, the German government is making Germany a laughingstock on the world stage and contributing to the erosion of international law,” Wagenknecht said in a post on X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for what he called America’s “strong action” in Venezuela, saying it should “restore freedom and justice to that region of the world.”
Members of Trump’s national security team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, homeland security adviser Stephen Miller, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, are working on a post-Maduro governance structure for Venezuela, a senior US official has told the Wall Street Journal.
North Korea has condemned America’s invasion of Venezuela, calling it a “hegemony-seeking act” and “the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty.”
“The incident is another example that clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the US, which the international community has so frequently witnessed for a long time,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said, as cited by KCNA news agency.
The American forces in the Caribbean will “remain postured” in case President Trump decides another attack on Venezuela is needed, an unnamed US official has told Axios.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has criticized the EU and the UK for their reluctance to take a clear stance on the US attack on Venezuela and abduction of its president, Nicolas Maduro, calling Brussels and London the “world champions of ‘monitoring the situation’ and double standards.”
Cuba could become Donald Trump’s next target after its attack on Venezuela, Michael Maloof, former senior security policy analyst in the US Defense Department, has told RT.
With this action, Washington “puts other countries in Latin America on notice” that it is for Washington to decide “who will be good guys and bad guys,” he said.
Pink Floyd co-founder and human rights activist Roger Waters has reacted to the American attack on Venezuela and capture of President Maduro by saying that he was “stunned by the savage act of from the empire of the US.”
Trump administration officials have told oil company executives that if they want compensation for property they had seized in Venezuela, they must be prepared to go back into the country and invest heavily in reviving its petroleum industry, Politico has reported, citing informed sources.
"They’re saying, ‘You gotta go in if you want to play and get reimbursed,’” an unnamed industry official told the outlet.
The White House offer has been on the table for the last ten days, “but the infrastructure currently there is so dilapidated that no one at these companies can adequately assess what is needed to make it operable,” the source added.
In late December, President Maduro rejected a US ultimatum to leave office and go into exile in Türkiye, the New York Times has reported, citing several American and Venezuelan sources.
The Venezuelan leader’s defiant speeches and public dancing in recent weeks, which some in the Trump administration saw as mockery, has played a role in inducing Washington to follow through on its threat to use force, the sources claimed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to take the leading role in Washington’s plan to administer Venezuela following the capture of President Maduro, a US official has told Bloomberg.
The agency noted that Trump’s claim that the US will now “run” the oil-rich nation has led to “confusion,” as the White House has provided few details on how it is going to achieve this and Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez is refusing to work with the Americans, while branding the attack on her country “barbaric.”
Donald Trump’s claim that Washington is going to “run” Venezuela following its capture of President Maduro is unrealistic, independent journalist and 21st Century Wire founder Patrick Henningsen told RT.
"He’s saying that the US is going to take over a mid-sized country of Venezuela, the majority of which lean left and support Nicolas Maduro and the current government. How on earth are you going to do that... without sparking a civil war? Unless, this is the plan,” Henningsen said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called upon Washington to release Maduro “at once,” insisting that the US resolve its issues with Venezuela through dialogue and negotiations.
America’s capture of Venezuela’s president is a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter, it stressed.
Venezuelans have taken to the streets in support of President Maduro following his capture by the US. Footage from RT shows demonstrators waving national flags and chanting: “Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!”
The New York Times and Washington Post learned about the US attack on Venezuela shortly before it was scheduled to start but held off on reporting on it to avoid endangering American troops, two people familiar with communications between the administration and the outlets have told Semafor.
The situation in Caracas is completely under government control, Russian ambassador to Venezuela Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov has told RT. The city is calm, but there is an unusually small number of people in the streets, he added.
No Russian citizens were killed or wounded in the US strikes on the country, Melik-Bagdasarov said. The New York Times reported earlier that the attack resulted in at least 40 deaths.
The Starlink satellite internet network owned by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has said it will provide free broadband service in Venezuela for the next month. The local media reported earlier that internet connection had been lost in some parts of the country’s capital, Caracas, amid power outages caused by the US strikes on Saturday.
Another video posted online shows Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro being brought to the New York office of the Drug Enforcement Administration under escort by DEA Special Response Team operators.
Flights over Caribbean airspace will be allowed to resume from midnight Eastern Time after temporary restrictions imposed following US strikes on Venezuela, US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has said.
“The original restrictions around the Caribbean airspace are expiring at 12:00am ET and flights can resume,” Duffy wrote on X, adding that airlines have been informed and will update schedules accordingly.
Denmark’s ambassador to the US has urged Washington to respect Greenland’s sovereignty after a social media post by US Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller’s wife sparked concern by depicting Greenland as a US state with the caption “soon.”
“Just a friendly reminder about the US and the Kingdom of Denmark: We are close allies and should continue to work together as such. US security is also Greenland’s and Denmark’s security. Greenland is already part of NATO. The Kingdom of Denmark and the United States work together to ensure security in the Arctic,” Jesper Moller Sorensen said.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, which has previously housed high-profile detainees including Ghislaine Maxwell, Sam Bankman-Fried, Michael Cohen, and rapper Sean Combs, also known as P Diddy.
Former Federal Bureau of Prisons official Judi Garrett told Fox News Digital she expects Maduro to be placed in a special housing unit upon arrival, noting that MDC Brooklyn has “substantial experience with high-profile defendants.”
New video circulating online show Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stepping onto US soil for the first time earlier on Satruday. The footage shows him in handcuffs, escorted off the aircraft by by a crowd of law enforcement agents.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court has granted Vice President Delcy Rodriguez all presidential powers and ordered her to immediately assume office in an acting capacity, Bloomberg reports.
New footage shows captured Nicolas Maduro escorted through a hallway of the DEA headquarters in New York.
“Good night. Happy New Year,” the Venezuelan leader can be heard telling the agents and journalists, in a video shared by a Fox News contributor.
Nicolas Maduro has been brought to the US Drug Enforcement Administration office in New York City.
President Donald Trump has dismissed Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado as a potential national leader, despite the Nobel laureate’s vocal support of the US military operation against her own country.
“I think it’d be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman but she doesn’t have the respect,” Trump told a press conference earlier on Saturday.
Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December, for what the Nobel Committee described as “her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” Asked if she backs US military action against her own country, Machado later said she believes “the escalation that’s taking place is the only way to force Maduro to understand that it’s time to go.”
Pete Hegseth has refused to confirm whether US President Donald Trump’s promise to “stay” in Venezuela and “run” means that Washington is prepared to send American boots on the ground.
“It means we set the terms. President Trump sets the terms. And ultimately, he’ll decide what the iterations are of that. But it means the drugs stop flowing, it means the oil that was taken from us is returned, ultimately, and that criminals are not sent to the United States,” he told CBS.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has described the military action in Venezuela as “the most sophisticated, most complicated, and most successful joint special operations raid of all time.” He
“President Trump flips the script,” he said during an interview with CBS Evening News, praising him praising Trump’s “strategic actions” and claiming the operation was the “exact opposite” of the Iraq war, where the US “got nothing in return.”
Nicolas Maduro has been transferred by helicopter to New York City, according to new footage.
The Venezuelan leader was handcuffed and escorted by dozens of DHS agents as he exited the aircraft. He was not accompanied by his wife, Cilia Flores, despite the White House saying that she had also been arrested. Her whereabouts remain unknown.
03 January 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised President Trump for his “bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice” following the US raid on Venezuela.
“I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers,” Netanyahu wrote on X.
Nicolas Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores is undergoing “further medical checks” in a hangar at Stewart Air National Guard Base, after the couple was dragged from their bedroom in Caracas by US special forces and flown to New York, according to a law enforcement official source cited by CNN.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has condemned the US military action in Venezuela as a “clear violation” of the UN Charter, and called for immediate end to the aggression, stating that it “puts regional stability at serious risk.”
The Mexican government has emphasized that Latin America is a “zone of peace” and reiterated that dialogue and negotiation are the “only legitimate and effective means” to resolve differences, reaffirming its readiness to support mediation efforts.
Nicolas Maduro and his wife will be delivered to an undisclosed location in New York City for processing, and then ultimately be transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, according to sources cited by NBC News.
Maduro has been reportedly seen disembarking on arrival, according to US and international media reports.
According to videos circulating online, he was led by a few dozen men to a building in the airport territory.
An aircraft believed to be carrying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, has landed near Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York.
According to officials cited by NBC News, Maduro is expected to be flown by helicopter into the city, where he will be processed and transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center. He is scheduled to appear in court by Monday evening, the officials said.
Venezuela’s oil exports, already reduced to minimal levels following Trump’s announcement of a blockade on sanctioned tankers entering and leaving the country’s waters, have now ground to a halt. According to four sources familiar with operations cited by Reuters, port captains have not received authorization requests allowing loaded vessels to depart.
Trump said on Saturday that an “oil embargo” on Venezuela was now fully in effect. As a result, several tankers that recently loaded crude and fuel for destinations including the US and Asia have remained docked, while others waiting to load departed empty.
Monitoring data also showed that no tankers were loading at Venezuela’s main oil terminal in Jose on Saturday, according to TankerTrackers.com.
Trump has said “many Cubans” died during the US operation to capture Maduro without providing more details.
”Cuba was always very reliant on Venezuela. That’s where they got their money, and they protected Venezuela, but that didn’t work out too well in this case,” Trump told the New York Post on Saturday without elaborating on who these people were.
No US service members died during Maduro’s capture, according to Trump.
He also said that he is not considering military action against Cuba, but that it will “fall of its own volition.”
The Venezuelan attorney general has alleged that some civilians were killed during the US military strikes, although he did not specify the number.
RT correspondent Murad Gazdiev reports from near a Venezuelan military base, where armoured vehicles were destroyed in the aftermath of US strikes, showing damage on the ground.
The UK has openly backed regime change in Venezuela, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying London supports a government transition. He offered no criticism of Washington’s operation or the capture of Maduro or US strikes, while claiming his country is rooting for "a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government".
RT EXCLUSIVE: The site of Maduro’s seizure in Caracas, the Fuerte Tiuna military base, is locked down now, correspondent Murad Gazdiev has said.
Smoke was still rising from the site of the US raid when the RT team was filming.
The United Nations security council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the situation in Venezuela, according to The Guardian, citing AP.
Several international leaders have been calling for the global body to hold such a meeting at its headquarters in New York following the military operation and the capture by US forces of the president, Nicolas Maduro.
According to Trump, he is being held on an American warship, currently on its way to New York, where it could arrive as early as today. The US has pledged that Maduro will appear in federal court in the US to face criminal charges related to drug trafficking.
Protesters have set fire to a US flag on Republic Square in Paris during a rally opposing the US operation in Venezuela.
Rodriguez has stated that Nicolas Maduro is the only legitimate president of Venezuela. The statement follows Trump’s claim that she was sworn in as his replacement after Maduro was captured during a military operation early in the morning.
She also called for calm and unity to defend the country amid Maduro’s “kidnapping.”
RT correspondent Murad Gazdiev reports from Caracas that much of the city has been shut down, with businesses closed, work suspended and essential supplies becoming increasingly scarce.
“Nobody understands how long this is going to last… this panic, this fear.”
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, as well as the country’s foreign and defense ministers, have addressed the country on state television, speaking in Caracas.
Rodriguez called for the release of Maduro and his wife, and insisted that Venezuela will never become a colony of any foreign power.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to issue a warning when asked about Cuba at the press conference at Mar-a-Lago, replying: “I mean, I just gave you a statement a few minutes ago about, you know, when the president speaks, you should take him seriously. Suffice it to say, you know, Cuba is a disaster.”
It is run by incompetent, senile men and, in some cases, not senile, but incompetent. Nonetheless, it has no economy, it’s in total collapse… all the guards that helped protect Maduro, their spy agency, they were all full of Cubans. This poor island took over Venezuela… So, yeah, if I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned, at least a little bit.
In case you’ve just joined us:
US President Donald Trump has just spoken to journalists about America's regime-change operation in Venezuela on Saturday morning, including strikes on Caracas and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Here are the main takeaways:
- Trump said the US is “going to run” Venezuela in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s capture, without giving any details about how this would work or how long it could last.
- He stressed that the US will deploy troops to Venezuela to secure oil resources, stating that the revenue would be used to compensate Venezuelans and the US for damages incurred during Maduro’s regime.
- Trump also said he planned to authorize US oil companies to take over Venezuela’s energy infrastructure.
- Top US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, will work with a “team” to help run Venezuela.
- No US troops or equipment were lost in the military operation, Trump claimed.
- The US was prepared to conduct a second attack on Venezuela if it was needed, but “now it’s probably not” necessary, Trump said.
The US will deploy troops to Venezuela to secure oil resources, Trump has said, adding that the revenue would be used to compensate Venezuelans and the US for damages incurred during Maduro’s regime.
He earlier said during a news conference that he would not rule out the possibility of US military involvement, stating, “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground.”
Venezuela holds about 17% of global oil reserves, or 303 billion barrels, ahead of OPEC leader Saudi Arabia, according to the London-based Energy Institute.
While the Latin American country has the world’s largest reserves, its crude output remains at a fraction of capacity due to mismanagement, lack of investment, and sanctions, according to official data.
Back in the 1960s, Venezuela was a founding OPEC with Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. It was also producing as much as 3.5 million barrels per day in the 1970s, which at the time represented over 7% of global oil output.
Production fell below 2 million bpd during the 2010s and averaged just 1.1 million bpd last year.
The press conference has ended, but we will continue to recap some of Trump’s key quotes and the reaction to Maduro’s capture.
Trump says he and his administration have not spoken with exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado since the capture of Maduro.
“I think it would be very difficult for her [to return to lead Venezuela],” the US president claimed.
“She does not have the support in Venezuela; she is a very nice woman, but she does not have the support.”
“We’re going to have our very large US oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country and we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so. So we were prepared to do a second wave,” Trump has said.
“The US is the curse upon all of Latin America,” former US Army officer Stanislav Krapivnik has told RT, condemning the capture of Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro.
He described the US government as “entirely rogue” and becoming “more and more desperate,” arguing its true aims are to control the Western hemisphere’s resources and push out rival powers like Russia and China.
Trump has claimed Maduro was trying to “get into a safe place” during the US capture operation. “You know, the safe place is all steel. And he wasn’t able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast. They went through the opposition so fast, and there was a lot of opposition,” he added.
The capture of Nicolas Maduro is “clear kidnapping” and a “criminal and terrorist act” which violates international law, the UN Charter, as well as the US’s own internal laws, the Venezuelan ambassador to South Africa, Carlos Feo Acevedo, has told RT.
Acevedo confirmed that the Venezuelan authorities have no information about the whereabouts of President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and has demanded “proof of life” from Washington.
Trump has made a comment on Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s reaction to Maduro’s capture, saying that the latter is “making cocaine,” which is being sent to the US, so Petro “does have to watch his ass.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is working on ‘dealing’ with the vice president of Venezuela, Trump has said. “I understand she was just sworn in, but she was jsut picked by Maduro, So Marco [US Secretary of State Rubio] is working on that directly. He’s just had a conversation with her and we think she’s ready to do what we think is necessary to essentially make Venezuela great again,” he added.
Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, however, is “willing to do what’s necessary.”
When asked about US presence in Venezuela and what he means by “running the country,” Trump said he was “designating people” and “talking to people” about it.
Trump is back at the podium, answering questions.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said Maduro “had his chance, just like Iran,” but failed to use it, adding that he ultimately faced the consequences, a remark he said echoed Washington’s approach during the US strikes on Iran carried out during the 12-day-war between Israel and Iran last summer.
Trump has said Maduro’s leadership was “both horrible and breathtaking.”
“We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country, it’s their homeland,” the US president added.
He also claimed that Washington “can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind,” which is why the US is going to stay there “until such time as a proper transition can take place.”
Trump has finished his speech, and US War Secretary Hegseth is now talking to the press.
US drug and terrorism charges against Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are all “Trumped up” and a “cruel joke,” American lawyer and journalist Dan Kovalik has told RT, stating that Washington’s true goal is to gain control over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and establish global dominance.
Kovalik said that although the US has clearly violated international laws by attacking Venezuela and capturing Maduro, “there’s very few people to look to to enforce the rule of law here,” noting a muted response from the EU and describing the European bloc as “total vassals of the US” which have “given up all their sovereignty to become tools in the US empire.”
Trump added that the US will send major American oil companies into Venezuela to invest “billions of dollars,” repair what he described as badly broken infrastructure, and restart the country’s oil industry so that it could begin generating revenues again.
“No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday, or frankly, in such a short period of time. All Venezuelan military capacities were rendered powerless as the men and women of our military, working with US law enforcement, successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night,” Trump boasted, praising the US military.
Trump said Maduro and his wife were currently on a ship heading to New York City, adding that both would face American justice.
He added that US air, land and sea forces were used in the operation.
“We’re ready to launch a second and much larger attack,” Trump threatened.
The United States would run Venezuela until it is able to carry out what he described as a safe, proper and judicious transition of power, Trump added.
Trump has claimed no US military equipment was lost during the operation and that no American soldiers were killed.
Trump has said Venezuela’s military capacity had been rendered powerless, adding that the lights of Caracas were turned off using what he described as a “certain expertise” possessed by the United States.
Trump has said that Maduro’s capture was one of the most stunning, effective, and powerful displays of American military might and competency ever.
Trump has started his press-conference.
Trump has just posted a photo of Maduro in US captivity. He is set to provide updates regarding Venezuela momentarily from Mar-a-Lago at a press conference.
Israel has welcomed the removal of the “dictator” Maduro, its foreign minister said on Saturday after the Venezuelan leader was captured by the United States.
“[Israel] hopes for the return of democracy to the country and for friendly relations between the states,” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X.
China has condemned the United States’ action in Venezuela in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.
“Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region,” it says, adding that Beijing “firmly opposes” the operation.
The US Department of Justice has unsealed a new indictment against Maduro, his wife and son.
The Venezuelan president and his allies have turned the country’s institutions into a hotbed of drug trafficking-fueled corruption for their own benefit, the statement says.
Maduro “has partnered with his co-conspirators to use his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States,” the text added.
Moscow has urged the US to release Maduro and his wife in a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday.
“We emphasize the need to create conditions for resolving any existing issues between the United States and Venezuela through dialogue,” the statement added.
Trump has said he watched Maduro's capture in real-time like “a television show.”
Trump, who spent Christmas and New Year’s in Palm Beach at his Mar-a-Lago residence, told Fox News that he watched the whole US military operation, which included them breaking through steel doors.
I was told by real military people that there’s no other country on Earth that can do such a maneuver […]. If you would have seen what happened, I mean, I watched it literally, like I was watching a television show.
The US Justice Department is expected to bring new charges against Maduro and his wife in a superseding indictment in New York, where the Venezuelan president was indicted in 2020, two sources familiar with the matter have told CNN.
The DOJ’s accusations against Maduro were first laid out in three 2020 indictments (two filed in New York and one in Washington) and a criminal complaint filed in Miami.
The cases allege a decades-long conspiracy in which Maduro and his top lieutenants provided political and military protection for narco-terrorists while stealing billions of dollars from the country.
Prosecutors also allege that Maduro led a violent cartel at the time he ascended to power. More than a dozen others were charged alongside Maduro, including Venezuelan government and intelligence officials and members of the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces.
Trump has claimed that no Americans were killed during the operation to capture Maduro, though some were injured while attempting to do it.
“I think we had nobody killed, I have to say, because a couple of guys were hit. But they came back and they’re supposed to be in pretty good shape,” Trump told Fox News.
The president added that a helicopter had been hit during the operation, but no aircraft had been lost.
The CIA had a source within the Venezuelan government who helped them track down and locate Maduro, two sources familiar with the operation have told Reuters.
Trump has said Maduro and his wife are aboard the USS Iwo Jima heading for New York.
“They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter in a nice flight – I’m sure they loved it. But they’ve, they’ve killed a lot of people, remember that,” Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News.
He also told Fox that he spoke to Maduro a week ago.
Maduro was trying to negotiate before his capture, Trump has claimed.
“You know, he was trying to negotiate at the end,” Trump told Fox News. “But I said, ‘No, we can’t do it.’ What he did with drugs is bad.”
The US will be involved in Venezuelan politics “very much,” Trump has told Fox News in a phone interview.
Well, we’re making that decision now. We can’t take a chance of letting somebody else run it and just take over what he left off. So we’re making that decision now. We’ll be involved in it very much. And we want to do liberty for the people.
Trump also added that Venezuelans are very happy with Maduro’s capture “because they love the United States” and because the country under Maduro was “a dictatorship.”
A series of pictures are circulating on Venezuelan social media, RT correspondents report. “The empire stole them, we want them back,” each one reads.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez over the phone and expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela “in the face of armed aggression.”
“The parties expressed their support for preventing further escalation and finding a way out of the situation through dialogue,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
During the conversation, both Lavrov and Gomez “expressed their mutual commitment” to strengthening the strategic partnership between Russia and Venezuela.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were dragged from their bedroom by US forces during the raid, two sources familiar with the matter have told CNN.
The couple was captured in the middle of the night while they were sleeping, they added.
The raid, carried out by the US Army’s elite Delta Force, did not lead to any US casualties, an American official claimed.
Vance has said that Trump offered “multiple off ramps” before the United States ultimately conducted a large-scale strike on Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
US Vice President J.D. Vance has said in a post on X that Maduro is “the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says.”
He also defended the capture of the Venezuelan leader, which critics have condemned as “illegal,” arguing that Maduro has “multiple indictments in the US for narcoterrorism.”
“You don’t get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas,” Vance insisted.
The captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being flown to New York, informed sources have told ABC News. They didn’t say where he will be accommodated, but the broadcaster noted that defendants awaiting trial in federal court in Manhattan are usually held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Brooklyn.
The US attack on Venezuela and the capture of President Maduro represents a “new style of American intervention in Latin America” that will have “very important consequences” not only for the continent, but for the entire world, Dr. Huseyin Bagci, president of Ankara Global Advisory Group, has told RT.
The US attack on Venezuela and the capture of President Maduro “cross an unacceptable line” and set “yet another extremely dangerous precedent,” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said.
"Attacking other countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step towards a world of violence, chaos and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism,” he warned in a post on X.
The international community should “respond vigorously” to the US actions via the UN, Lula said.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry has called for “deescalation” after the US attack on Venezuela, adding that international law and the principles of the UN Charter should be respected.
The ministry noted in a statement that Madrid did not recognize the results of the 2024 election in Venezuela, which was won by Maduro.
Spain is ready to assist Washington and Caracas in finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis, it added.
RT correspondent Murad Gazdiev is in Caracas, where he was greeted by empty streets after the US attack on Venezuela.
Maduro and his wife have been indicted on charges of “narco-terrorism conspiracy” and will “soon face full wrath of American justice,” US Attorney General Pamela Bondi has said in a post X.
In case you’ve just joined us:
US President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has been captured by US forces and flown out of the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US of carrying out “an act of armed aggression” against Venezuela and expressed grave concern over the situation.
US Senator Mike Lee has said in a post on X that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him that “he anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody.”
The US has hit the Venezuelan parliament building, according to Colombian President Gustavo Petro. At least 11 sites in the country were attacked, he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reposted a message on X from last year, which said Washington does not consider Maduro the legitimate leader of Venezuela. The top US diplomat has so far not provided any other comments on the US attack.
The US attack on Venezuela lasted less than 30 minutes, AP has reported. It is not yet clear if Washington plans to conduct any further military action against the country, the agency said.
Moscow is extremely alarmed by reports of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife being “forcibly removed from the country as a result of today’s US aggression,” the Russian Foreign Ministry has said in a statement. It called on Washington to immediately clarify the situation.
“Such actions, if they actually occurred, constitute an unacceptable infringement on the sovereignty of an independent state, respect for which is a key principle of international law,” the ministry stressed.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello Rondon has been filmed telling troops to “trust the leadership” of the country amid the escalation with the US. Washington has only “partially” achieved its goals with Saturday's attack, he said.
“Remain very calm. Let no one fall into despair. Let no one make things easier for… the terrorist enemy that attacked us so cowardly,” the minister urged, addressing soldiers.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says she has discussed the situation in Venezuela with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The EU has repeatedly stated that Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition,” she wrote on X.
However, Kallas noted that “under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint.”
Argentine President Javier Milei nas issued an ecstatic post on X in response to the US strikes on Venezuela and the alleged capture of Maduro. “FREEDOM ADVANCES. LONG LIVE FREEDOM. DAMN IT!” he wrote.
Sources inside the Venezuelan opposition have told Sky News that they believe the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro was a “negotiated exit.”
US Senator Mike Lee has said in a post on X that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him on the phone that “he anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody.”
According to Lee, Rubio said “Maduro has been arrested by US personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the US, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has published a video which he said shows civilian casualties as a result of US strikes on Venezuela.
The authorities in Caracas said earlier that there were injuries and deaths among the civilian population, but added that their exact number so far remains unclear.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has said Caracas does not know the whereabouts of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. She demanded that the Trump administration immediately provide proof of life of Maduro and the first lady.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has applauded Trump’s statement about the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will now finally face justice for his crimes,” Landau wrote in a post on X.
“Latin America must remain a zone of peace, as it declared itself in 2014,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in response to the US attack on Caracas.
“Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone, external military intervention,” it said in a statement.
Moscow supports the call by the Venezuelan authorities and the leaders of Latin American countries to hold an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council, the ministry added.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US of carrying out “an act of armed aggression” against Venezuela and expressed grave concern over the situation.
“The pretexts used [by Washington] to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism and willingness to build relationships based on trust and predictability,” it said in a statement.
The ministry noted that it is crucial to prevent further escalation, urging the two sides to focus on finding a way out of the crisis through dialogue. Moscow is ready to support such negotiations, it stressed.
There were no US casualties in the military operation in Venezuela, the New York Times has reported, citing an unnamed official. A source declined to comment on Venezuelan casualties.
The operation to capture and remove Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife out of the country was carried out by the Delta Force, an elite special forces unit of the US military, CBS has reported, citing informed sources.
Trump has told the New York Times that the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife was “a brilliant operation.”
It took “a lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” he said.
Venezuela has been subject to “the most criminal military aggression” by the US government, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez has said in a statement on Instagram.
Earlier media reports claimed that Lopez had been killed in the US airstrikes.
US President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has been captured by US forces and flown out of the country.
“The US has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela,” Trump said in his post on Truth Social, promising to reveal further details during a press conference later on Saturday.
Moscow’s embassy in Venezuela has said that it has not received any information about Russian citizens being killed or wounded as a result of US strikes on the country. The embassy added that it remains in constant contact with the government in Caracas and with Russians staying in Venezuela.
The Federal Aviation Administration has prohibited US aircraft from operating within Venezuelan airspace due to “safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity.” The agency did not specify which country’s military was involved.
Speaking to RT from Caracas, Jesus Rodriguez-Espinoza, a former Venezuelan diplomat and editor of the Orinoco Tribune, said that he believed the ultimate target of the strikes was Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
He added that while the US has the world’s most powerful military, it would struggle to maintain a presence in Venezuela or impose a puppet government, which he said Washington had been attempting to do for decades.
”We have been preparing for this, and we are ready to defend Venezuela from any gringos that try to put boots on the ground,” he said.
The US Senate Armed Services Committee had not been notified by the White House about any military action against Venezuela, CNN has reported, citing an informed source.
A US official has told the Wall Street Journal that the White House will release an official statement on the attack against Venezuela after American forces leave the country’s airspace.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez has labeled the US attack on Venezuela “state terrorism” and demanded an urgent response from the international community to the “criminal” act. “Our Zone Of Peace is being brutally assaulted,” he wrote on X.
Footage from Caracas has captured an explosion rocking the Cuartel de la Montana, the resting place of Hugo Chavez, who served as president of Venezuela between 2002 and his death in 2013.
The US has hit the Venezuelan parliament building, according to Colombian President Gustavo Petro. At least 11 sites in the country were attacked, he said.
US President Donald Trump held a national security meeting at Mar-a-Lago before striking Venezuela, The New York Times has reported.
The White House hasn’t yet confirmed it ordered the strikes.
The US Embassy in Caracas has issued a Level 4 notice to American citizens, saying: “Do not travel to Venezuela for any reason.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has imposed a state of emergency over the US attack, the Latin American nation’s foreign minister, Yvan Gil, has said in a statement. “The entire country must activate to defeat this imperialist aggression,” he said.
"The objective of this attack is none other than to seize the strategic resources of Venezuela, particularly its oil and minerals... They will not succeed,” Gil insisted.
Venezuela condemns the “serious military aggression” perpetrated against it by the US, the Latin American nation’s foreign minister, Yvan Gil, has said in a statement.
The American strikes targeted civilian and military areas in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, he said.
These actions violate the UN charter, infringe upon Venezuela’s sovereignty, endanger millions of people and threaten stability in the region, Gil stressed.