Venezuela’s ousted leader Nicolás Maduro will appear in court in New York on Monday after he and his wife, Cilia Flores, were snatched and forcibly removed from the country by US forces.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of January 3, involved a series of strikes on Venezuela’s capital Caracas, resulting in at least 40 deaths, including civilians and Venezuelan military personnel.
The operation involved 150 aircraft and lasted just over two hours. Maduro and Flores were captured by US forces and transported to New York.
The Trump administration authorised the strike without congressional approval.
US President Donald Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela temporarily during a transition phase and control its oil industry. Trump also said “we’re not afraid of boots on the ground”.
“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,” Trump said.
“We’ll be selling large amounts of oil.”
Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves, accounting for 17 per cent of global reserves.
Maduro had been in power in Venezuela for more than a decade. Throughout his rule, he had been accused of illegally consolidating authoritarian power and crimes against humanity. He has also overseen the country’s economic collapse.
Operation Absolute Resolve. pic.twitter.com/KOtW0C0V1O
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2026
Since their forced removal from Venezuela on the weekend, Maduro and Flores have been charged with weapon and drug offences in New York. They will appear before a court at noon local time on Monday.
Venezuela’s military has announced it will recognise Delcy Rodriguez, deputy to Maduro, as the country’s acting leader. Trump has already threatened Rodriguez, a staunch Maduro supporter, to comply with US wishes.
“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump told The Atlantic.
In the days since Maduro’s ousting, many Venezuelans, including those living in the US, have rejoiced at his downfall, despite the uncertainty over their country’s future.
In the joint statement, the 26 EU members said the will of the Venezuelan people must be respected moving forward.
“The EU has repeatedly stated that Nicolás Maduro lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president and has advocated for a Venezuelan-led peaceful transition to democracy in the country, respectful of its sovereignty. The right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected,” the statement said.
How women leaders have responded
Former Vice President Kamala Harris issued a blistering statement of the Trump administration’s actions, writing: “We’ve seen this movie before”.
“That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise,” she said.
“Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price”.
Harris said it wasn’t about drugs or democracy for Trump.
“It is about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman,” she said.
“If he cared about either, he wouldn’t pardon a convicted drug trafficker or sideline Venezuela’s legitimate opposition while pursuing deals with Maduro’s cronies.”
Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 4, 2026
That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise. We’ve seen this movie before. Wars for regime change or oil that…
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of Donald Trump’s biggest MAGA allies, slammed the Trump administration over its actions in Venezuela, saying the military operation was part of “the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn’t serve the American people.”
“I want to see domestic policy be the priority that helps Americans afford life after four disastrous years of the Biden administration,” she said.
Meanwhile, Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said drug trafficking was not the motivation for the attack.
“It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month. It’s about oil and regime change,” Ocasio Cortez said.
“And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.”
It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 3, 2026
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein + skyrocketing healthcare costs.
Meanwhile, New York governor, Kathy Hochul said the strikes were a “flagrant abuse of power”…“acting without congressional approval”.
“New York is home to a vibrant Venezuelan community, and I stand with families here and abroad in their hopes for a better, more stable future.”
Internationally, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen focused her statement on what might happen next in Venezuela without specifically commenting on the US military operation.
“Following very closely the situation in Venezuela,” she said.
“We stand by the people of Venezuela and support a peaceful and democratic transition. Any solution must respect international law and the UN Charter.”
Following very closely the situation in Venezuela. We stand by the people of Venezuela and support a peaceful and democratic transition. Any solution must respect international law and the UN Charter.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) January 3, 2026
With HRVP @kajakallas and in coordination with EU Member States, we are…
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the US military action in Venezuela a legitimate ‘defence’.
“The government believes that external military action is not the way to end totalitarian regimes, but at the same time considers defensive intervention against hybrid attacks on its security to be legitimate, as in the case of state entities that fuel and promote drug trafficking,” Meloni said in a statement.