Venezuelan officials vowed to remain unified behind President Nicolas Maduro after U.S. forces seized the 63-year-old leader and flew him to New York to face drug charges, deepening uncertainty over Venezuela’s future and prompting international pushback.
Maduro is being held in a New York detention center ahead of a court appearance. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his capture and said Washington would take control of the oil-rich South American nation, a declaration that rattled allies and adversaries alike and drew comparisons to past U.S. interventions in the region.
- Advertisement -
Images of Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed stunned Venezuelans. Defense Minister Gen. Vladimir Padrino, speaking on state television, said the U.S. assault killed soldiers, civilians and a “large part” of Maduro’s security detail “in cold blood.” He said the armed forces had been activated to guarantee sovereignty. Officials in Caracas have denounced the detentions of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as a kidnapping.
Vice President Delcy Rodriguez — who also serves as oil minister — has assumed interim leadership with the blessing of Venezuela’s top court, while insisting Maduro remains president. Trump, in an interview with The Atlantic, suggested Rodriguez could “pay a bigger price” than Maduro if she fails to cooperate, a claim she has publicly rejected. The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to that remark.
In New York, a heavy police presence surrounded a van near the Wall Street Heliport, where authorities said Maduro was transported. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the operation a “law enforcement mission” to bring Maduro to face criminal charges filed in 2020, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro has denied criminal involvement.
International reaction was swift. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain issued a joint statement rejecting the ousting of Maduro and warning against any outside bid for “control” of Venezuela or appropriation of its natural or strategic resources. With memories of Iraq and Afghanistan still raw, many leaders questioned the legality of seizing a foreign head of state. The U.N. Security Council is set to meet to discuss the attack. Russia and China, major backers of Venezuela, have criticized the U.S.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuela’s next leader should align with American interests, citing the need to keep the country’s oil industry out of the hands of U.S. adversaries and curb drug trafficking. He pointed to an ongoing U.S. blockade on sanctioned tankers as leverage: “That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interest of the Venezuelan people are met,” he said on ABC’s This Week.
Venezuelan officials amplified long-standing claims that Washington’s goal is oil. “We are outraged because in the end everything was revealed — it was revealed that they only want our oil,” said Mr. Cabello.
On the streets of Caracas, government supporters rallied at a state-backed march. “Venezuela’s people must not surrender, nor should we ever become a colony of anyone again,” said demonstrator Reinaldo Mijares. “This country is not a country of the defeated.” Opponents were wary of celebrating, and security forces appeared lighter than usual. In Maracaibo, a single mother stocking up on rice, vegetables and tuna said, “Yesterday I was very afraid to go out, but today I had to. This situation caught me without food and I need to figure things out. After all, Venezuelans are used to enduring fear.”
In Washington, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the White House has not explained how long the U.S. intends to be in Venezuela or how many troops might be required. “The American people are worried that this is creating an endless war — the very thing that Donald Trump campaigned against,” he said on ABC’s This Week. Lawmakers are weighing measures to constrain further action, though prospects are uncertain with Congress under Republican control.
Oil markets appeared unmoved. OPEC+ kept output steady at a brief online meeting, despite tensions among key producers and the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s president. Eight members — Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria and Oman — reaffirmed plans to raise output targets by about 2.9 million barrels per day from April to December 2025 after pausing hikes for the first quarter. Venezuela was not discussed, a delegate said. The group meets again on Feb. 1.
Venezuela’s opposition, meanwhile, voiced frustration after Trump dismissed 58-year-old opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado as lacking support. Machado was barred from the 2024 election, but says her ally Edmundo Gonzalez, 76, who the opposition and some observers say won that vote, has a democratic mandate.
As Washington insists it will “run” Venezuela and Caracas pledges defiance, the country’s political endgame remains uncertain — and the stakes for the nation’s people, and its oil, are only rising.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
