United States special forces executed a dramatic raid early Saturday morning in Caracas, capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from the presidential palace.
The operation marks an unprecedented escalation in American efforts to combat drug trafficking operations in Latin America.
Authorities immediately extradited the couple to New York to face drug trafficking charges that have been pending for years.
Maduro made his first appearance in Manhattan federal court on Monday while protesters gathered outside the courthouse.
President Donald Trump announced that the United States would now assume control of Venezuela following the raid.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump stated the country would take charge of rebuilding the nation.
“We’re in charge,” Trump said. “We’re going to run it, fix it.”
The president emphasized plans to restore Venezuela’s deteriorating oil infrastructure.
Trump characterized previous nationalizations of American oil assets as unprecedented theft.
“The oil companies are going to go in and rebuild their system,” Trump explained on Sunday.
“It was the greatest theft in the history of America. Nobody has ever stolen our property like they have. They took our oil away from us.”
“They took the infrastructure away and all that infrastructure is rotted and decayed, and the oil companies are going to go in and rebuild it.”
Delcy Rodríguez, who has assumed interim leadership in Venezuela, indicated willingness to work with Washington.
Rodríguez expressed interest in establishing what she termed “respectful relations” between the two nations.
The operation drew sharp criticism from Russia. Senior Russian senator Alexei Pushkov issued warnings about potential consequences of the American action.
“But what will the final result be? Will this ‘triumph’ not turn into a catastrophe?” Pushkov wrote on Telegram.
He accused the United States of returning to “savage imperialism of the 19th century” and invoking “Wild West” concepts.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded to the Venezuela operation with a defiant challenge directed at Trump.
His comments came amid accusations from the American president regarding cocaine production in Colombia.
“Come get me. I’m waiting for you here. Don’t threaten me, I’ll wait for you right here if you want to,” Petro declared publicly.
Petro continued his statement by rejecting certain forms of American intervention while expressing openness to intelligence cooperation.
“I don’t accept invasions, missiles, or assassinations, only intel. Come speak here with intelligence, and we’ll receive you and talk face-to-face with facts, not lies,” he said.
“Stop getting lied to by Colombian political mafias who condemned us to 700,000 deaths and made us the world’s most unequal country.”
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Trump has accused Petro of overseeing cocaine manufacturing operations that supply drugs to American markets.
The president issued a warning to the Colombian leader on Saturday.
“He has cocaine mills. He has factories where he makes cocaine. So, I stick by my statement. He does need to watch his ass,” Trump said.
Trump’s Latin America policy has generated controversy over his recent pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, Rift News reported.
Hernández had been convicted of drug trafficking and received a 45-year prison sentence before the pardon.
Trump defended the decision by stating Hernández was “persecuted very unfairly.”
Rift News further noted that in separate diplomatic developments, Trump held meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.
The August meeting reportedly included private exchanges between the two leaders.
According to a lip reader’s analysis of the Alaska meeting, Trump whispered to Putin, “I’ll help you.” Putin apparently responded, “I am here to help you.”
