Venezuela Latest : Nicolas Maduro lands in US after capture as Trump says : 'WE'll run country'

Press Note
Venezuela

Source by : Sky News Hub
Sunday 4 January 2026 01:53, UK

Venezuela Latest : Nicolas Maduro lands in US after capture as Trump says : ‘WE’ll run country’

Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured by US forces in a daring raid in the capital Caracas. Donald Trump says the US will run the country until a ‘proper transition’ takes place. Follow the latest.

How world leaders reacted to Maduro’s capture
The US assault on Venezuela and subsequent capture of Nicolas Maduro, a sitting president, has few precedents in recent history.

Accordingly, it elicited a wide range of reactions from governments around the world throughout the day.

Here’s a rundown of the most important voices:

Europe

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was broadly supportive, calling Maduro an “illegitimate president” and said he “shed no tears about the end of his regime”.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the Venezuelan people “are today rid of Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship”. He said 2024 presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez should “swiftly ensure” the democratic transition. He also talked to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Maduro had “led his country to ruin” but added Germany would take time to evaluate the “complex” legality of the intervention.

Pedro Sanchez, prime minister of Spain, the European country with the largest Venezuelan community, said he would not recognise “an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region towards a future of uncertainty and warmongering.”
Latin America/Caribbean

Gustavo Petro, the left-wing president of neighbouring Colombia, strongly condemned the US intervention and asked the UN Security Council to hold a meeting on it.
Cuba, a long-time adversary of the US, called for the international community to respond to what Miguel Diaz-Canel, the president, called a “criminal attack”.
Mexico’s left-wing government also condemned the intervention.
Brazil’s President Lula da Silva said the US operation crossed “an unacceptable line”.
Argentina’s president Javier Milei, a Trump ally, lauded Venezuela’s new “freedom”.

Lula and Petro
Reuters

The Russian foreign ministry called the operation “an act of armed aggression”. It said “ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism”.
China’s foreign ‌ministry said the military operation violated international law, adding it was “deeply shocked and strongly condemns the ‍use of force by the US” against a sovereign country and president.

Were Cubans deployed to protect Maduro?
During yesterday’s news conference, Donald Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio, warned Cuban leaders that the US was keeping a close watch on the communist country.

Trump later clarified he wasn’t considering military action against Cuba.

“No, Cuba is going to fall of its own volition. Cuba is doing very poorly,” he told the New York Post in exclusive comments.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel attended a rally in support of Maduro
AP

He did claim, however, that Cuba had a hand in the conflict with Venezuela as its citizens were purportedly deployed to protect Nicolas Maduro.

“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 said.

“You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night. Did you know that? Many Cubans lost their lives. They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move.”

Watch: US vs Maduro – How it all unfolded

‘Nicked’: How tomorrow’s papers are covering Maduro’s capture
The US assault on Venezuela and the capture of Nicolas Maduro are dominating the front pages of the Sunday papers.

They almost invariably feature the shot of a blindfolded Maduro onboard a US war ship that Donald Trump shared yesterday.

The Daily Star also mocks the US president’s claim to be a president of peace.

Machado supporters call for protests around the world
Comando Con Venezuela, an informal political entity established to support opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, has called on Venezuelans abroad to “take to the streets” tomorrow.

In a post on Instagram, Mundo Con Venezuela, the organisation’s foreign wing, said the aim of the protests would be to “show that Venezuela can indeed be rebuilt in freedom, with order, and with legitimate leadership”.

Celebrations in Venezuela remain ‘very low key’ as uncertainty reigns
Sky News has been speaking to Venezuelan journalist Rosali Hernandez, who is in Caracas.

She said the footage of a captured Nicolas Maduro arriving in New York had reached Venezuela, where it sparked some celebrations.

But they remain “very low key”, Hernandez said, as the country remained “under control of the military forces”.

Venezuelans continue to feel “a lot of fear”, she added.

Many are worried that there will be bloodshed as “we don’t know what is going to happen right now”, the journalist noted.

She said there were also reports of violence and injured military personnel, as some of Maduro’s supporters appear to have been armed.

Analysis: Demeaning Maduro pictures mark new era of geopolitics
Our international editor Dominic Waghorn has called the emerging visuals from Nicolas Maduro’s capture and his transit “extraordinary”.

Visuals of the Venezuelan president in New York that are likely to emerge in the coming day herald “a new era of geopolitics”, Waghorn said.

“Donald Trump goes from a kind of theoretical sense of what he could do as president to actually putting it into effect,” he noted, adding that Maduro may have to do a perp walk.

“We are likely to see those pictures of the perpetrator in… the orange jumpsuit because Donald Trump is extremely proud of what he’s accomplished and the message that will be sent to the rest of the international community.

“It’s going to send all kinds of messages not just to other figures like Maduro, fugitives of international condemnation, but also leaders who might want to do what Donald Trump has done to Maduro to other potential victims.”

People in Caracas protesting against Maduro’s capture
Reuters

This has been foreshadowed by the picture of Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima, that Trump published.

“He’s been put into these rather demeaning clothes, blindfold folded, put into ill-fitting, sweatpants,” Waghorn said.

“And clearly the message there is that this is a fugitive from justice.

“This is someone who no longer is legitimately the leader of Venezuela, who lost that credibility…

“That is an indicted criminal, and should be brought to justice.”

Is Venezuela really behind the US fentanyl crisis?
According to US attorney general Pam Bondi, Nicolas Maduro faces charges of:

narco-terrorism conspiracy
cocaine importation conspiracy
possession of machine guns and destructive devices
and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US
Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Maduro is running a drug cartel, justifying strikes by labelling the drug gangs as “foreign terrorist organisations” and “narco-terrorists” on a par with al-Qaeda.

Trump is certainly partly referring to the synthetic opioid fentanyl, a huge killer in the US, for which he blames drug gangs.

But is Venezuela really behind the crisis?

Watch: Maduro descends stairs of plane and sets foot on US soil
It appears that Nicolas Maduro has now been led down the stairs of the plane in New York.

The person that appeared to be the president emerged surrounded by a large number of security officials, including DEA agents.

Our US correspondent James Matthews said the person led down the stairs was “seemingly in bare feet… his head covered”.

“A transfer is made across the tarmac towards what we understand will be a helicopter,” he added.

The vehicle is supposed to take the Venezuelan president to the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.

Matthews said it looked like the person shown was quite tall. Maduro notably stands at about 1.9m.

The person identified as Maduro also appeared to be handcuffed as he was led across the tarmac, with his legs also chained.

Two individuals with DEA uniforms were seemingly filming the scene.

A second person was led down the stairs a few minutes later.

In pictures: Protests against Maduro capture around the world
While many exiled Venezuelans and their allies celebrated today’s capture of Nicolas Maduro, the US intervention has also elicited protests around the world.

In Times Square, New York City, protesters came together for an anti-war rally.

Protesters also gathered in front of the White House in Washington DC…

in Paris…

and Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.

The picture below shows an activist from the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) group holding a banner outside the US Embassy in London.

Previous pictures showed Maduro blindfolded – here is why
While we’re waiting for Nicolas Maduro to emerge from the plane in New York, our US correspondent James Matthews has talked us through the last published image of the Venezuelan president (see our post at 16.26).

Shared by Donald Trump on Truth Social, it shows Maduro blindfolded with what appears to be somebody in a DEA uniform, according to Matthews.

The blindfold prevented Maduro from having eyes on agents around him, Matthews said, bearing in mind that identities are kept secret because of the job they do.

Agents may also restrain and blindfold Maduro to keep him from harming himself or others.

“That has to be considered as a possibility,” Matthews said.

“Every precaution will be taken with regard to his travel for a whole number of reasons.

“I mean, apart from anything else, this is, a showpiece operation conducted by the Americans.”

Maduro has arrived in New York
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have now arrived in New York.

A plane carrying the pair landed near Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, after the Venezuelan president was captured by US forces in Venezuela this morning.

The president and his wife had been embarked aboard the USS Iwo Jima, an American assault ship, which was bound for the US.

Upon arrival at a New York-area airport, Maduro should be helicoptered to the city where he will be processed and transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center prison, officials briefed on the matter told our US partners NBC News.

They added that they expected the president to appear in court as soon as or by Monday evening.

‘Decisions based on their actions’: Rubio responds to Venezuelan VP’s defiance
We reported earlier that Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has defied Donald Trump’s suggestion that the US would run the country, saying Nicolas Maduro was the “only” leader.

Macro Rubio, the secretary of state, has now responded to her defiant video address, telling the New York Times that he would reserve judgement on it.

“We’re going to make decisions based on their actions and their deeds in the days and weeks to come,” he said.

“We think they’re going to have some unique and historic opportunities to do a great service for the country, and we hope that they’ll accept that opportunity.”

Analysis: Starmer cares about international law – but he can’t antagonise Trump over Venezuela
The UK prime minister has shown himself to be “fairly supportive” of the US intervention in Venezuela, notes our political correspondent Amanda Akass.

In his latest statement, “he’s still very much not condemning the action taken by the US”, she said.

The Liberal Democrats, Greens and some from his own Labour Party had called on him to do so.

The prime minister’s statement shows he considers it “important to uphold his support for international law”, Akass said.

“Of course, he’s probably the country’s most famous human rights, barrister and clearly that is important to him.”

But, she added, given “how important the relationship is between the UK and the US, it’s very clear why he doesn’t want to make any suggestion of a criticism of the US president”.

UN Security Council to meet over Venezuela on Monday
On Colombia’s request, the UN Security Council will convene on Monday to discuss the US capture of Nicolas Maduro, Reuters reports.

The request is backed by Russia and China, diplomats said.

The 15-member body has met twice – in October and December – over the tensions between the US and Venezuela.

Venezuela’s UN ambassador during the Security Council meeting last month
Reuters

Earlier today, a spokesperson of UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the US military operation constitutes “a dangerous precedent”.

Guterres “is deeply concerned that the rules of international ‌law have not been respected,” they added.

Maduro to appear in court by Monday evening
Nicolas Maduro remained en route to the US within the last hour, as NBC News reported in an update on the whereabouts of the captured president.

He is scheduled to travel to a New York-area airport, multiple officials briefed on the matter told our US partners.

Upon arrival, he should be helicoptered to New York City where he will be processed and transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center prison, the officials say.

They added that they expected the president to appear in court as soon as or by Monday evening.

After their capture by US sources, the president and his wife had been embarked aboard the USS Iwo Jima, an American assault ship.

Starmer: ‘We shed no tears about end of Maduro’s regime’
The UK prime minister has now shared a more substantive statement about the US attack on Venezuela and capture of Nicolas Maduro today.

He said:

“The UK has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela. We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate President and we shed no tears about the end of his regime.

“I reiterated my support for international law this morning. The UK government will discuss the evolving situation with US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people.”

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