FLORIDA: President Donald Trump on Saturday said the United States will ‘run’ Venezuela until a political transition can occur, after the spectacular US military operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from the country.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump told a press conference, adding that US forces were ready to conduct a second, “much bigger” wave of strikes if necessary.
Trump said he would allow American oil companies to head into Venezuela to tap its massive crude reserves after a US military operation to seize Maduro.
“We’re going to have our very large United States 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,” Trump added.
The US president said that the military caused a blackout in the Venezuelan capital Caracas so it could carry out a stunning operation to seize Maduro.
“It was dark. The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have,” Trump added.
Shortly before his presser, Trump posted a photo of the Venezuelan leader in custody on a US naval ship and wearing both a blindfold and handcuffs.
“Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, along with a picture showing Maduro hours after he was snatched by US forces.
The Venezuelan leader had on what appeared to be noise-cancelling ear muffs and grey Nike-branded sweatpants and a jacket.
Speaking briefly to ‘The New York Times’, Trump described the operation as “brilliant”, praising the planning and performance of US troops. In a separate telephone interview with Fox News, he said the couple had been extracted by helicopter to a ship and would be taken to New York to face federal charges.
Earlier today, US forces captured Maduro and his wife after launching a “large-scale strike” on the South American country.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump said on Truth Social.
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi later said that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were indicted in the Southern District of New York.
“Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” she wrote in a post on X.
The couple, she said, would soon “face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts”.
The announcement follows months of escalating US military and economic pressure on Venezuela, including an expanded naval and aerial presence in the Caribbean, an oil blockade, and reported strikes targeting vessels accused of drug trafficking. Trump has repeatedly accused Venezuela of exporting drugs to the United States and seizing American oil interests, though he has stopped short of explicitly calling for Maduro’s removal. The US government, along with several European nations, does not recognise Maduro’s legitimacy as president.
Venezuela strongly rejected Trump’s claims and accused the US of launching missile and rocket attacks on residential areas. Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said US forces struck civilian neighbourhoods near Caracas and surrounding states, calling the action a “flagrant violation” of international law and the United Nations Charter.
Lopez announced a massive deployment of Venezuela’s land, air, naval, riverine and missile forces, adding that authorities were assessing casualties and damage. AFP journalists reported hearing explosions across Caracas in the early hours of Saturday, with power outages affecting several parts of the capital.
Venezuela’s neighbours and allies of its President Nicolas Maduro condemned the large-scale US strike on the South American country, as Spain offered to mediate for a peaceful settlement.
Following are reactions to Saturday’s US strikes on Venezuela.
China said it firmly opposes US military strikes on Venezuela and the capture of the country’s leader Nicolas Maduro, calling it a violation of international law.
“China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the US’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and its action against its president,” Beijing´s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Such hegemonic behaviour by the US seriously violates international law, infringes upon Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean. China firmly opposes it,” it added.
Russia condemned the US military action as “an act of armed aggression against Venezuela.”
“This is deeply concerning and condemnable,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. “The pretexts used to justify such actions are untenable. Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism,” it added.
Iran, which has close links with oil-rich Venezuela, said it “strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called it an “assault on the sovereignty” of Latin America which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.
Colombia is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council this year and leftist leader Petro called for the body to meet “immediately.”
Cuba, a traditional regional ally, denounced what it called “state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people” according to a statement by President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who urged a “response from the international community” following a “criminal attack” on Caracas.
Spain offered to mediate in the crisis in an attempt to broker a negotiated and peaceful solution.
“Spain calls for de-escalation and restraint,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding it was “ready to help in the search for a democratic, negotiated, and peaceful solution for the country,”
Germany’s foreign ministry told AFP that “we are monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely and following the latest reports with great concern. The foreign ministry is in close contact with the embassy in Caracas.” Berlin added that the government’s crisis team was in session and “we are coordinating closely with our partners.”
The office of Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, said she was “closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela, remaining in constant contact with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, also in order to gather information about our fellow citizens.”
US Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat, said on X: “We have no vital national interests in Venezuela to justify war. We should have learned not to stumble into another stupid adventure by now.”
Fellow Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego said on X: “This war is illegal, it’s embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year. There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.”
Former Bolivian president Evo Morales, a close Caracas ally, said on X he “forcefully rejected” the US “bombardment.”
“Earlier this morning, Saturday 3rd January 2026, the United States commenced military operations within the territory of Venezuela.
“Trinidad and Tobago is NOT a participant in any of these ongoing military operations. Trinidad and Tobago continues to maintain peaceful relations with the people of Venezuela,” Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said.
Indonesia Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said that they were monitoring developments in Venezuela to ensure the safety of its citizens.
“Indonesia also calls on all relevant parties to prioritise peaceful resolution through de-escalation and dialogue, while prioritising the protection of civilians.
“Indonesia emphasises the importance of respecting international law and the principles of the UN Charter.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply alarmed” after Washington’s strikes on Venezuela, his spokesman said on Saturday, saying it could “constitute a dangerous precedent.”
The UN chief is “deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding that Guterres “calls on all actors in Venezuela to engage in inclusive dialogue, in full respect of human rights and the rule of law.”
France condemned the American operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying it undermined international law while no solution to the country´s crisis can be imposed from the outside.
Maduro “gravely violated” the rights of Venezuelans, but the military operation that led to him being grabbed “contravenes the principle of non-use of force, which underpins international law”, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X.
“No lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside”, he said, warning that “the increasing violations” of this principle by permanent UN Security Council members “will have serious consequences for global security, sparing no one”.
The EU called for “restraint” and respect for international law in Venezuela on Saturday. “The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition” in Venezuela, the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas wrote on X after speaking with her US counterpart Marco Rubio.
“Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint,” she wrote.
