US signals no further action in Venezuela after Maduro capture; Russia reacts

Washington/Caracas: The United States signalled Saturday that it does not anticipate any further action in Venezuela now that President Nicolás Maduro is reportedly in US custody, following a dramatic overnight operation that sent multiple explosions ringing through the capital, Caracas.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on social media that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who briefed him on the strike.

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“...He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant...,” Mike Lee wrote in X.

The White House did not immediately respond to queries on the whereabouts of Maduro and his wife. Maduro was indicted in March 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges in the Southern District of New York.

President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, one of Trump’s fiercest critics, said the Colombian government convened a national security meeting before dawn Saturday and sent security forces to the border in preparation for a potential “massive influx of refugees” from neighbouring Venezuela.

He said he’d also call on the U.N. Security Council to consider “the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America.” Petro added on social media: “Without sovereignty, there is no nation.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called a U.S. “act of armed aggression” against Venezuela in a statement posted on its Telegram channel Saturday.

“Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, outside intervention,” the statement said. The ministry called for dialogue to prevent further escalation and said it reaffirmed its “solidarity” with the Venezuelan people and government, adding that Russia supports calls for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting.

Earlier today, the United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” and said President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington.

Multiple explosions rang out, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas, the capital, as Maduro’s government immediately accused the U.S. of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an “imperialist attack” and urged citizens to take to the streets.

Trump announced the developments on Truth Social shortly after 4:30 a.m. ET and said he would host a news conference at 11 a.m. ET.