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  • Russian Politicians Say Trump Strike on Venezuela Unlawful, Destabilising

    MOSCOW, Jan 4 (Reuters) – Russia’s Security Council deputy chairman ‌Dmitry ​Medvedev and a senior lawmaker said ‌over the weekend that U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela ​were unlawful and destabilising, while portraying them as a blunt assertion of U.S. interests.

    The comments followed Trump’s ‍statement that the United States struck ​Venezuela and that Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country, ​prompting international ⁠reaction and calls for urgent UN discussions.

    Medvedev told TASS on Sunday that Trump’s behaviour was illegal but internally coherent because it pursued U.S. interests.

    “It must be acknowledged that, despite the obvious unlawfulness of Trump’s behaviour, one cannot deny a certain consistency in his actions. He and his ‌team defend their country’s national interests quite harshly,” Medvedev was quoted as saying.

    Medvedev said ​Latin America ‌was viewed as the ‍United States’ “backyard” and ⁠suggested Trump was seeking leverage over Venezuela’s oil supplies.

    “Uncle Sam’s main motivation has always been simple: other people’s supplies,” Medvedev said, according to TASS.

    He added that if such an operation were carried out against a stronger country, it would be seen as an act of war.

    Alexei Pushkov, a Russian senator who chairs a Federation Council commission on information policy, said the operation and Trump’s rhetoric might prove ​less effective than their dramatic impact.

    “One cannot deny that Trump’s actions and especially his statements are striking. Their effectiveness is another matter,” Pushkov said on the Telegram messaging app.

    He compared the episode to what he called premature U.S. declarations of victory in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, arguing that initial “triumphs” later turned into defeat or prolonged crises.

    Pushkov said the United States, by attacking Venezuela and seizing its president, had violated norms and “alarmed the whole world,” returning it to “the wild imperialism of the 19th century” and reviving a Wild West right to act at will in the Western Hemisphere.

    “But what ​will the final result be? Will this ‘triumph’ not turn into a catastrophe?” he said.

    Russia has long maintained close ties with Venezuela, spanning energy cooperation, military links and high-level political contacts, and Moscow has backed Caracas diplomatically for years as both countries seek ​to deepen trade and investment.

    (Reporting and writing by Vladimir Soldatkin and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Stephen Coates)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • US Pushes Oil Majors to Invest Big in Venezuela if They Want to Recover Debts

    HOUSTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) – White House and State Department officials have ‌told ​U.S. oil executives in recent weeks that ‌they would need to return to Venezuela quickly and invest significant capital in the country to revive ​the damaged oil industry if they wanted compensation for assets expropriated by Venezuela two decades ago, according to two people familiar with the outreach.

    In the 2000s, ‍Venezuela expropriated the assets of some international ​oil companies that declined to give state-run oil company PDVSA increased operational control, as demanded by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. 

    U.S. oil major Chevron ​was among companies that ⁠negotiated to stay in the country and form joint ventures with state-run PDVSA, while rivals Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips left and filed for arbitration. 

    President Donald Trump said on Saturday that American companies were prepared to return to Venezuela and spend billions to reactivate the struggling oil sector, just hours after President Nicolás Maduro was captured and removed by U.S. forces.

    In the recent U.S. administration discussions with ‌oil executives in the scenario that Maduro was out of power, officials have said that U.S. oil companies would need to ​front the ‌investment money themselves to rebuild ‍Venezuela’s oil industry. That would ⁠be one of the preconditions for them eventually recovering debts from the expropriations.

    That would be a costly investment for firms such as ConocoPhillips, the sources said. Conoco for years has tried to recover some $12 billion from the Chavez-era nationalization of its Venezuela assets. Exxon Mobil also filed international arbitration cases, trying to recover $1.65 billion.

    Trump began making public reference to the Venezuelan expropriations when he ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers last month.

    Whether or not the companies return would depend on how executives, boards and shareholders evaluate the risk of renewed investment in Venezuela, the sources said.

    “ConocoPhillips is ​monitoring developments in Venezuela and their potential implications for global energy supply and stability. It would be premature to speculate on any future business activities or investments,” a company spokesperson said in emailed comments to Reuters on Saturday. The company reiterated the statement on Sunday when asked about discussions with administration officials for this story.

    Exxon did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters on Sunday.

    Politico first reported on the recent discussions on Saturday.

    Even if companies do agree to return to the country, it could be years before there is a meaningful boost to oil output. The South American country has one of the largest estimated reserves in the world, but production has plummeted over past decades amid mismanagement, lack of investment and U.S. sanctions.

    Besides uncertainty surrounding the contract framework for any operations there, companies considering a return would also need to deal with security ​concerns, poor infrastructure, questions about the legality of the U.S. operation to capture Maduro and the possibility of long-term political instability, analysts have told Reuters. 

    Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, produced as much as 3.5 million barrels per day in the 1970s, which at the time represented over 7% of global oil output. Production fell below 2 million bpd during the ​2010s and averaged around 1.1 million bpd last year, or just 1% of global production.

    (Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Writing by Nathan Crooks. Editing by Simon Webb and Chizu Nomiyama )

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Reuters

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  • Report: How Nations Are Reshaping Global Finance with Crypto

    TRM’s report shows crypto is now embedded in state economic and security planning, not treated as a fringe asset.

    A new report by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has revealed that governments around the world are no longer standing on the sidelines of crypto markets, with states from North Korea to Singapore actively putting blockchain networks to work as part of their national financial strategies.

    However, there’s a divide between how authoritarian and democratic governments use digital assets, and this, per the report, is turning crypto into a quiet but powerful force in global finance and geopolitics.

    Crypto Moves From Market Experiment to State Tool

    According to TRM, blockchain’s borderless design allows countries to move value outside traditional systems built around the U.S. dollar, SWIFT, and correspondent banking, with authoritarian regimes leaning heavily on this feature.

    North Korea stands out as the most aggressive example. The firm linked the country’s cyber units to exchange, DeFi, and bridge hacks worth billions of dollars, including the high-profile Bybit breach in February 2025.

    Investigators traced how stolen funds were routed through mixers, shifted across blockchains, converted into stablecoins, and eventually cashed out through over-the-counter brokers in Asia. Those proceeds, TRM said, flow back into Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programs.

    Russia, for its part, has taken a different route since facing sweeping sanctions following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. While digital assets have not replaced traditional finance, TRM’s data shows they now play a supporting role in cross-border settlements with partners such as Iran, fundraising for pro-Russian groups, and large-scale mining operations that turn cheap energy into foreign currency.

    Meanwhile, Iran legalized Bitcoin mining in 2019 and, according to the report, has been using domestically mined BTC to pay for imports while bypassing payment restrictions.

    You may also like:

    A Split Path for Crypto’s Future

    Not all state use of crypto is adversarial. The study portrayed democratic governments as focusing on oversight, transparency, and market stability.

    In the U.S. and Europe, for instance, agencies are now relying on blockchain analytics to trace ransomware payments, enforce sanctions, and support cross-border investigations. Europe’s MiCA framework, now in force, requires strict licensing and monitoring for crypto firms, while U.S. regulators are still refining digital asset rules through bodies such as FinCEN and OFAC.

    Asia offers a more collaborative model, with Singapore’s Monetary Authority working closely with private firms on compliance technology, while Japan has strengthened exchange supervision following past hacks.

    Additionally, many central banks in the region are testing government-issued digital currencies and tokenized reserves, borrowing ideas from public blockchains while keeping tight state control.

    The contrast is stark. Where North Korea uses crypto to dodge restrictions and fund weapons, countries like Singapore and those in the EU have applied similar tools to modernize payments and supervision. TRM argued that the difference comes down to visibility and enforcement. Public blockchains record every transaction, but only strong analytics and cooperation can turn that data into accountability.

    As crypto markets continue to mature, the report suggests this divide will widen. Authoritarian states are likely to keep probing digital assets for workarounds, while democratic governments will push for rules that tie innovation to oversight.

    SPECIAL OFFER (Exclusive)

    SECRET PARTNERSHIP BONUS for CryptoPotato readers: Use this link to register and unlock $1,500 in exclusive BingX Exchange rewards (limited time offer).

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  • Large Part of Maduro’s Security Team Killed in U.S. Action-Venezuela Defense Minister

    Jan 4 (Reuters) – ‌A ​large part ‌of erstwhile President ​Nicolas Maduro’s ‍security team was ​killed ​in ⁠the U.S. raid that led to the leader’s Saturday capture, ‌Venezuelan Defense Minister ​General Vladimir ‌Padrino ‍said in a ⁠televised statement on Sunday morning.

    Padrino did not give an ​exact figure of casualities, but backed the declaration of Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as interim president and said the armed forces have ​been activated across the country to guarantee sovereignty.

    (Reporting ​by Julia Symmes Cobb)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Explainer-Venezuela’s Billions in Distressed Debt: Who Is in Line to Collect?

    By Rodrigo Campos and Karin StroheckerNEW YORK/LONDON, Jan 4 (Reuters) – The toppling of President Nicolas Maduro has thrust Venezuela’s debt ‌…

    Reuters

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  • Maduro arrives in US after capture in operation that Trump says will let US ‘run’ Venezuela

    Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States to face criminal charges after being captured in an audacious nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.Video above: U.S. strikes Venezuela, captures President Maduro in overnight operationMaduro landed Saturday evening at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas — an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president.Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, who didn’t give a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured, but none were killed.Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries. Video below: ‘We are going to run the country,’ Trump says of VenezuelaTrump says US will ‘run the country’The Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.Trump claimed the U.S. government would help lead the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. He boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. campaign began in September.Video below: Fact checking President Trump’s Venezuela claimsEarly morning attackTaking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.“We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”Multiple explosions rang out that morning, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the United States of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. The explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard.Restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on airspace around Venezuela and the Caribbean expired early Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, an announcement that suggested any further immediate major U.S. military action was unlikely. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” he posted.Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodríguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she become interim president.“There is only one president in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said, “and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”Video below: President Donald Trump’s full comments on Venezuela strike and Nicolas Maduro captureSome streets in Caracas fill upVenezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.In a demonstration of how polarizing Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture, while others celebrated it. At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.“Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”In other parts of the city, the streets were empty hours after the attack.“How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared. Many families couldn’t sleep.”In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”Questions of legalityWhether the United States violated any laws, international or otherwise, was still a question early Sunday. “There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.In New York, the U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning. That was according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”___Toropin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Farnoush Amiri in New York; and Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

    Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States to face criminal charges after being captured in an audacious nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

    Video above: U.S. strikes Venezuela, captures President Maduro in overnight operation

    Maduro landed Saturday evening at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas — an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval.

    Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president.

    Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, who didn’t give a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured, but none were killed.

    Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.

    Video below: ‘We are going to run the country,’ Trump says of Venezuela

    Trump says US will ‘run the country’

    The Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.

    Trump claimed the U.S. government would help lead the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. He boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.

    The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. campaign began in September.

    Video below: Fact checking President Trump’s Venezuela claims

    Early morning attack

    Taking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.

    Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

    “We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”

    Multiple explosions rang out that morning, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the United States of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. The explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard.

    Restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on airspace around Venezuela and the Caribbean expired early Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, an announcement that suggested any further immediate major U.S. military action was unlikely. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” he posted.

    Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodríguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she become interim president.

    “There is only one president in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said, “and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”

    Video below: President Donald Trump’s full comments on Venezuela strike and Nicolas Maduro capture

    Some streets in Caracas fill up

    Venezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.

    Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

    In a demonstration of how polarizing Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture, while others celebrated it. At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

    “Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”

    In other parts of the city, the streets were empty hours after the attack.

    “How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared. Many families couldn’t sleep.”

    In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

    Questions of legality

    Whether the United States violated any laws, international or otherwise, was still a question early Sunday. “There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.

    In New York, the U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning. That was according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.

    Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

    Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

    ___

    Toropin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Farnoush Amiri in New York; and Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

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  • Maduro arrives in US after capture in operation that Trump says will let US ‘run’ Venezuela

    Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States to face criminal charges after being captured in an audacious nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.Maduro landed Saturday evening at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas — an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president.Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, who didn’t give a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured, but none were killed.Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries. Trump says US will ‘run the country’The Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.Trump claimed the U.S. government would help lead the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. He boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. campaign began in September.Early morning attackTaking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.“We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”Multiple explosions rang out that morning, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the United States of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. The explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard.Restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on airspace around Venezuela and the Caribbean expired early Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, an announcement that suggested any further immediate major U.S. military action was unlikely. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” he posted.Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodríguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she become interim president.“There is only one president in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said, “and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”Some streets in Caracas fill upVenezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.In a demonstration of how polarizing Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture, while others celebrated it. At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.“Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”In other parts of the city, the streets were empty hours after the attack.“How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared. Many families couldn’t sleep.”In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”Questions of legalityWhether the United States violated any laws, international or otherwise, was still a question early Sunday. “There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.In New York, the U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning. That was according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”___Toropin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Farnoush Amiri in New York; and Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

    Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States to face criminal charges after being captured in an audacious nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

    Maduro landed Saturday evening at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas — an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval.

    Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president.

    Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, who didn’t give a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured, but none were killed.

    Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.

    Trump says US will ‘run the country’

    The Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.

    Trump claimed the U.S. government would help lead the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. He boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.

    The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. campaign began in September.

    Early morning attack

    Taking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.

    Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

    “We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”

    Multiple explosions rang out that morning, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the United States of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. The explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard.

    Restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on airspace around Venezuela and the Caribbean expired early Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, an announcement that suggested any further immediate major U.S. military action was unlikely. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” he posted.

    Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodríguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she become interim president.

    “There is only one president in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said, “and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”

    Some streets in Caracas fill up

    Venezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.

    Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

    In a demonstration of how polarizing Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture, while others celebrated it. At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

    “Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”

    In other parts of the city, the streets were empty hours after the attack.

    “How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared. Many families couldn’t sleep.”

    In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

    Questions of legality

    Whether the United States violated any laws, international or otherwise, was still a question early Sunday. “There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.

    In New York, the U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning. That was according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.

    Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

    Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

    ___

    Toropin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Farnoush Amiri in New York; and Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

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  • North Korea Condemns US Strikes on Venezuela as ‘Serious Encroachment of Sovereignty’

    SEOUL, Jan 4 (Reuters) – ‌North ​Korea has ‌denounced the U.S. strikes ​on Venezuela as “the most ‍serious form of ​encroachment of ​sovereignty,” ⁠state news agency KCNA said on Sunday.

    “The incident is another example that clearly confirms once ‌again the rogue and brutal ​nature ‌of the ‍United States,” ⁠KCNA said, citing a spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry.

    The statement came after North Korea launched ballistic ​missiles earlier on Sunday, the day the leader of South Korea begins a state visit to China, Pyongyang’s chief ally.

    Pyongyang said the current situation in Venezuela “caused a catastrophic consequence ​to ensuring the identity of the regional and international relations structure.”

    (Reporting by ​Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Shop for Marble, Threaten Iran, Capture Maduro: Trump’s Dizzying Holiday Routine

    PALM BEACH, Florida, Jan 3 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump capped the holidays with an ‌unprecedented ​strike on Venezuela, overseeing a surprise snatch-and-grab operation early ‌on Saturday targeted at Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

    The dramatic mission punctuated a winter sojourn to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, ​filled with an unusual mix of activities that have become oddly typical for the unconventional president.

    Trump spent Thursday night, for instance, blasting out messages on Truth Social about an eclectic array of topics, ‍none of them related to the South American country.

    He ​wrote that the U.S. was “locked and loaded” and poised to help protesters in Iran if they were attacked by the government in Tehran. The 79-year-old president also presented his 11.2 million Truth ​Social followers with an ⁠image of a bald eagle that had been apparently slain by a windmill, while assuring them in a separate post that he is in “PERFECT HEALTH.”

    On Friday, less than 24 hours before the Venezuela mission, Trump spent almost an hour perusing marble and onyx at an Italian stone importer in a gritty section of Lake Worth Beach for his planned White House ballroom. Onlookers were left agape as “The Beast” presidential limousine snaked its way down narrow roads flanked by strip malls and trailer parks for the shopping excursion.

    Since arriving ‌at Mar-a-Lago in mid-December for a trip that wraps up on Sunday, Trump’s days have been a blend of heady geopolitical affairs with visits from foreign leaders ​and ‌glitzy social occasions, like a black-tie gala ‍on New Year’s Eve replete with ⁠Palm Beach socialites. No stretch has underlined that juxtaposition more than the last few days.

    Supporters see a vigorous executive, capable of juggling several tasks and interests simultaneously. Opponents say he is easily distracted and sometimes focused on trivial matters, even when his administration is engaged in immensely consequential matters, like preparing to attack a sovereign nation.

    A PASSION FOR MARBLE, A DISDAIN FOR CLOONEY

    On New Year’s Eve, with hundreds of military assets already in place and awaiting the order to capture Maduro, Trump took to Truth Social with mock celebration of the news that George and Amal Clooney – both critics of the U.S. president – had obtained French citizenship.

    During the gala at Mar-a-Lago hours later, Trump invited painter Vanessa Horabuena up to the stage to paint an image of Jesus Christ. He then auctioned off ​the painting for $2.75 million to a woman in a top hat and a svelte man in modified black-tie attire. The proceeds, the president said, would go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

    In the lead-up to the Venezuela mission, Trump also had his most high-profile architectural passion project – the $400 million new White House ballroom – on his mind. The endeavor has faced sharp criticism from Democrats and conservationists, in part because it involved the demolition of a significant chunk of the executive mansion.

    A White House official told reporters on Friday that Trump was purchasing marble and onyx for the ballroom at his own expense, without providing further details.

    “I’m doing a magnificent, big, beautiful ballroom that the country’s wanted, the White House has wanted for 150 years,” Trump said last week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had traveled to Florida to meet with the U.S. president.

    That Trump would venture out days later to view marble options – even as one of the most significant U.S. military operations ever in Latin America was imminent – was not a total surprise for a president who ​has long had something of an obsession with the white stone.

    During his first term in office, Trump appointees on an architectural board demanded that a renovation of the Federal Reserve in Washington include more marble. That demand, revealed by the media last year, has garnered renewed relevance as Trump frequently criticizes Fed Chairman Jerome Powell for the cost of that renovation.

    Following Trump’s Friday stop at the marble importer, he headed to his golf course, as he did on a near-daily ​basis while in Florida. In the evening, he met with his ambassador to China, former Senator David Perdue.

    Within hours, the plan to capture Maduro was a go.

    (Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Alistair Bell and Diane Craft)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Around the world, U.S. attacks on Venezuela prompt praise, anger — and fear

    MEXICO CITY — Argentina’s president called it “excellent news for the free world.”

    Iran condemned it as a “blatant violation of national sovereignty.”

    Canada said little, except that it was “monitoring developments closely.”

    The dramatic U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was cheered by world leaders allied with President Trump, and condemned by those who oppose him.

    Other countries responded carefully to news of the covert U.S. operation, hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of a famously vindictive American president who wields tariffs freely — and who has hinted at a willingness to broaden his military campaign.

    On Saturday, as details emerged about the early morning apprehension of Maduro and his wife from their Caracas home by special operations forces and the White House plan to exploit Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, Trump boasted that he is “reasserting American power in a very powerful way” and suggested that he may target Cuba, Colombia and Mexico next.

    Venezuelans celebrate in Madrid after President Trump announced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country on Saturday.

    (Bernat Armangue / AP)

    At a news conference, Trump said he wants to “help the people in Cuba,” which he described as a “failing nation,” and threatened military action in Colombia, whose leftist President Gustavo Petro has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics.

    Trump asserted, without evidence, that Petro is a drug trafficker and warned that Colombia’s leader should “watch his ass.”

    In an interview with Fox News on Saturday, Trump also revived warnings that U.S. forces may intervene in Mexico, one of America’s closest allies.

    “The cartels are running Mexico,” he said. “We have to do something.”

    Some conservative leaders in Mexico welcome the prospect of U.S. drone strikes on cartel targets, and in recent polls about half of Mexicans surveyed said they support U.S. help with combating organized crime.

    But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly insisted that she will not allow the U.S. military to fight drug cartels inside her nation’s borders.

    “It’s not going to happen,” she said late last year when Trump threatened such an operation. “We don’t want intervention by any foreign government.”

    She reposted a statement by her Foreign Ministry on Saturday that said “the government of Mexico vigorously condemns and rejects the military actions carried out unilaterally in recent hours by the armed forces of the United States of America against targets in the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

    Sheinbaum also mentioned the United Nations Charter, which says members of the body “shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”

    People take part in a demonstration in front of the White House in Washington, D.C.

    People take part in a demonstration against U.S. military action in Venezuela in front of the White House in Washington on Saturday.

    (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

    Trump’s actions prompted a rare statement from Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose term as Mexico’s president ended in 2024, and who has rarely spoken publicly since his retirement.

    “I am retired from politics, but my libertarian convictions prevent me from remaining silent in the face of the arrogant attack on the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people and the kidnapping of their president,” said López Obrador, who formed a friendship with Trump during the first Trump presidency. “Neither [Simon] Bolívar nor Lincoln would accept the United States government acting as a global tyranny.”

    He told Trump not to bend to the will of advisors pressing for military actions. “Tell the hawks to go to hell; you have the capacity to act with practical judgment,” López Obrador said.

    In Latin America, the Middle East and in other parts of the world familiar with the long shadow of American intervention, Saturday’s operation stirred memories of past U.S. airstrikes, coups d’état and military invasions.

    “The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line,” said Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He said Maduro’s ouster recalled “the darkest moments of [U.S.] interference in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, without mentioning specifics or possible new targets, viewed the action against Maduro as setting “a dangerous precedent,” according to his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric.

    “He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected,” Dujarric said of Guterres.

    U.S. intervention in the region dates back 200 years, when President James Monroe declared Latin America off limits to European colonization and began a campaign to establish the U.S. as a hemispheric power.

    Over decades, the U.S. carried out an array of interventions, from military invasions to covert operations to economic pressure campaigns. Motivations included fighting communism and protecting U.S. business interests.

    In his Saturday news conference, Trump hailed the Monroe Doctrine, which many in Latin American have condemned as an imperialist blueprint.

    “We’ve superceded it by a lot,” Trump said of the doctrine. “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.”

    While many countries in Latin America criticized the U.S. campaign in Venezuela, others applauded it, highlighting the stark political divisions here.

    “The time is coming for all the narco-Chavista criminals,” wrote conservative Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa on X, referring to followers of Hugo Chávez, the late leftist revolutionary who served as president of Venezuela before Maduro. “Their structure will finally collapse across the entire continent.”

    El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who last year housed Venezuelan deportees from the United States in his country’s most notorious prison, posted a photograph issued by the United States on Saturday of Maduro blindfolded and in handcuffs.

    The foreign ministry of Uruguay, meanwhile, said it rejected “military intervention by one country in the territory of another.”

    The actions in Venezuela reverberated globally.

    Beijing, which has sought to expand its influence in Latin America in recent decades, said in a statement that “China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and its action against its president.”

    Iran, whose leadership frets about being in the crosshairs of a similar U.S. operation, said the action in Venezuela “represents a grave breach of regional and international peace and security.”

    “Its consequences affect the entire international system,” it said.

    Kate Linthicum

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  • Explainer-Was the US Capture of Venezuela’s President Legal?

    By Tom Hals and Andrew Goudsward

    WASHINGTON Jan 3 (Reuters) – The U.S. captured Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in a ‌military ​operation early on Saturday morning, culminating a months-long pressure campaign ‌by President Donald Trump’s administration that drew condemnation from some international leaders.

    Maduro was on a warship bound for New York to face criminal charges, ​according to U.S. officials.

    Below is a look at the legality of the U.S. action. 

    On Saturday, U.S. forces attacked Venezuela and seized Maduro, who has been widely condemned as an illegitimate leader, and his wife Cilia ‍Flores.

    Trump had been urging Maduro to cede power and has ​accused him of supporting drug cartels that Washington designated as terror groups, alleging they were responsible for thousands of U.S. deaths tied to illegal drug use.

    Since September, U.S. forces had killed more than 100 people in ​at least 30 strikes ⁠on alleged drug trafficking boats from Venezuela in the Caribbean and Pacific, which legal experts said likely violated U.S. and international law.

    HOW DID THE U.S. JUSTIFY THE ACTION?

    U.S. authorities said the Justice Department sought military assistance to apprehend Maduro, who had been indicted by a New York grand jury along with his wife, son, two political leaders and an alleged leader of an international gang. They were charged with crimes related to terrorism, drugs and weapons.

    Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media that the defendants “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American ‌soil in American courts.” 

    However, at a press conference, Trump blamed Venezuela for stealing U.S. oil interests and said Washington would take them back and planned to run Venezuela for a ​period ‌of time, without offering specifics.

    Experts in international law ‍said the Trump administration had muddled the ⁠legal issues by claiming the operation was both a targeted law enforcement mission and the potential prelude to long-term control of Venezuela by the U.S.

    “You cannot say this was a law enforcement operation and then turn around and say now we need to run the country,” said Jeremy Paul, a professor at Northeastern University specializing in constitutional law. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

    The U.S. Congress has the power to declare war but the president is the commander-in-chief, and presidents of both parties have justified carrying out military action when it was limited in scope and in the national interest.

    Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair magazine in an interview published late last year that if Trump were to authorize “some activity on land” in Venezuela he would need approval from Congress.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Congress was not notified ​before Saturday’s operation. 

    International law prohibits the use of force in international relations except for narrow exceptions such as authorization by the U.N. Security Council or in self-defense.

    Drug trafficking and gang violence are considered criminal activity and do not rise to the accepted international standard of an armed conflict that would justify a military response, according to legal experts. 

    “A criminal indictment alone doesn’t provide authority to use military force to depose a foreign government, and the administration will probably hang this also on a theory of self-defense,” said Matthew Waxman, a law professor at Columbia University specializing in national security law. 

    The U.S. has not recognized Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela since 2019, following an election the U.S. said was rigged. 

    The U.S. has captured criminal suspects in foreign countries including Libya but it has sought consent of local authorities. While the administration describes Maduro as an illegitimate leader, Washington has not recognized another Venezuelan leader who could have authorized the capture of Maduro.

    In 1989, the U.S. arrested General Manuel Noriega, then the leader of Panama, in similar circumstances. Noriega had been indicted on drug-related charges and Washington said it was acting to protect U.S. citizens after Panamanian forces had killed a U.S. soldier.

    The ​United States had also alleged Noriega was an illegitimate leader and had recognized as the country’s leader the candidate who Noriega had claimed to have defeated in a recent election.

    The former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, was extradited to the United States in 2022 and later convicted on drug-related charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Trump pardoned Hernandez in December.

    Legal experts were skeptical that the United States would face any meaningful accountability for its actions in Venezuela, even if they were unlawful given the lack of ​enforcement mechanisms in international law.

    “It’s hard to see how any legal body could impose practical consequences on the administration,” said Paul, of Northeastern.

    (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware, and Andrew Goudsward in Washington; editing by Scott Malone and Michael Learmonth)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Trump Says US Oil Companies Will Spend Billions in Venezuela

    By Arathy Somasekhar and Gram Slattery

    PALM BEACH, Florida, Jan ‌3 (Reuters) – ​President Donald Trump said that American ‌oil companies were prepared to enter Venezuela and invest to restore production in ​the South American country, an announcement that came  just hours after Nicolás Maduro was captured and removed by U.S. ‍forces.

    “We’re going to have our very ​large U.S. oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix ​the badly ⁠broken infrastructure, oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” Trump said on Saturday.

    While Chevron is the only American major with current operations in Venezuela, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, among others, have storied histories in the country. The American Petroleum Institute, the largest U.S. oil trade group, said on Saturday ‌it was monitoring the emerging situation.

    “We’re closely watching developments involving Venezuela, including the potential implications for global ​energy ‌markets,” an API spokesperson told ‍Reuters.

    Chevron, which exports ⁠around 150,000 bpd of crude from Venezuela to the U.S. Gulf Coast, said it is focused on the safety and wellbeing of its employees, in addition to the integrity of its assets. 

    “We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations,” a Chevron spokesperson said in an emailed response to questions.

    Top oilfield service companies SLB, Baker Hughes, Halliburton and Weatherford did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Exxon and Conoco did ​not immediately respond to questions from Reuters. 

    Trump’s plans to have large U.S. oil companies enter Venezuela and get “oil flowing” will be hindered by lack of infrastructure that will require many years and heavy investment, analysts said. “There are still many questions that need to be answered about the state of the Venezuelan oil industry, but it is clear that it will take tens of billions of dollars to turn that industry around,” said Peter McNally, Global Head of Sector Analysts at Third Bridge, adding that it could take at least a decade of Western oil majors committing to the country. 

    A U.S. embargo on all Venezuelan oil, meanwhile, remains in full ​effect, Trump said. He told reporters that the U.S. military forces would remain in position until U.S. demands had been fully met.

    “The American armada remains poised in position, and the U.S. retains all military options until United States demands have been fully met and fully satisfied,” he ​said.

    (Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar, Richard Valdmanis, Gram Slattery, Jarrett Renshaw and Liz Hampton; Writing by Andrea Shalal, Nathan Crooks; Editing by Frances Kerry)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Germany Urges Political Solution for Venezuela Crisis

    FRANKFURT, Jan 3 (Reuters) – Germany’s ‌foreign ​ministry on Saturday ‌called for a political solution in ​Venezuela where the United States attacked and ‍captured leader Nicolas Maduro.

    “We ​call on all involved parties ​to ⁠avoid an escalation of the situation and to seek ways for a political settlement,” said a written communication obtained by Reuters after ‌a crisis team had met at the ministry.

    “International ​law ‌has to be respected … ‍Venezuelans ⁠deserve a peaceful and democratic future,” it added.

    The ministry said it was in close contact with the embassy in Caracas and a travel warning had been issued.

    Its note echoed ​statements by both the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, who also has repeatedly said that Maduro “lacks legitimacy,” and from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who demanded the observance of international law.

    German politicians and commentators on Saturday took mixed stances, with some applauding ​Maduro’s removal and others condemning what they called the abandonment of the rules-based order of the post-1945 Western world.

    (Reporting by ​Andreas Rinke and Vera Eckert; Editing by Toby Chopra)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • US Captures Venezuela’s Leader And His Wife In A Stunning Operation And Plans To Prosecute Them – KXL

    Maduro and his wife, taken overnight from their home on a military base, were aboard a U.S. warship on their way to New York, where they were to face criminal charges. The U.S. is now evaluating next steps for Venezuela, President Donald Trump said Saturday on Fox News.

    “We’ll be involved in it very much,” he said. “We can’t take a chance in letting somebody else run and just take over what he left.”

    The legal authority for the attack, which echoed the 1990 U.S. invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of leader Manuel Antonio Noriega, was not immediately clear. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro, who last appeared on state television Friday while meeting with a delegation of Chinese officials in Caracas.

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges, but the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, accusing them of a role in narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed in a social media post that the couple would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.” Trump said the couple were aboard the U.S. warship Iwo Jima and headed to New York.

    Trump, who was set to speak Saturday morning, posted on his Truth Social account a photo of Maduro blindfolded and in a sweatsuit aboard the ship.

    Early morning attack

    Early Saturday, multiple explosions rang out and low-flying aircraft swept through the Venezuelan capital. Maduro’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets.

    The attack lasted less than 30 minutes and the explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they’d seen and heard. Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, without giving a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured in Venezuela but he believed none were killed.

    Video obtained from Caracas and an unidentified coastal city showed tracers and smoke clouding the landscape as repeated muted explosions illuminated the night sky. Other footage showed cars passing on a highway as blasts illuminated the hills behind them. The videos were verified by The Associated Press.

    Smoke was seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas, while another military installation in the capital was without power.

    Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández told The Associated Press that Maduro and Flores were at their home within the Ft. Tiuna military installation when they were captured.

    “That’s where they bombed,” he said. “And, there, they carried out what we could call a kidnapping of the president and the first lady of the country.”

    Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. There was no confirmation that had happened, though she did issue a statement after the strike, demanding proof of life for Maduro and his wife.

    The strike followed a months-long Trump administration pressure campaign on the Venezuelan leader, including a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America and attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean accused of carrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September.

    As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes was 35 and the number of people killed at least 115, according to the Trump administration. Trump said that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and has justified the boat strikes as a necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S.

    Maduro has decried the U.S. military operations as a thinly veiled effort to oust him from power.

    Some streets in Caracas fill up

    Venezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.

    Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

    In a demonstration of how polarizing a figure Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to deplore his capture and celebrate it.

    At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

    “Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”

    Earlier, armed people and uniformed members of a civilian militia took to the streets of a Caracas neighborhood long considered a stronghold of the ruling party.

    In other parts of the city, the streets remained empty hours after the attack, as residents absorbed events. Some areas remained without power, but vehicles moved freely.

    “How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking down at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared, many families couldn’t sleep.”

    In the Chilean capital of Santiago, people waved Venezuelan flags and banging pots and pans as vehicles passed by honking at them.

    In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

    Questions of legality

    The Armed Services committees in both houses of Congress, which have jurisdiction over military matters, have not been notified by the administration of any actions, according to a person familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.

    Lawmakers from both political parties in Congress have raised deep reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling near the Venezuelan coast and Congress has not specifically approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

    Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

    Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the military action and seizure of Maduro marks “a new dawn for Venezuela,” saying that “the tyrant is gone.” He posted on X hours after the strike. His boss, Rubio, reposted a post from July that said Maduro “is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government.”

    Cuba, a supporter of the Maduro government and a longtime adversary of the United States, called for the international community to respond to what President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez called “the criminal attack.”

    “Our zone of peace is being brutally assaulted,” he said on X. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the strikes.

    President Javier Milei of Argentina praised the claim by his close ally, Trump, that Maduro had been captured with a political slogan he often deploys to celebrate right-wing advances: “Long live freedom, dammit!”

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  • Shocked Venezuelans Hunker Down, Unsure of What Comes Next

    Jan 3 (Reuters) – Venezuelan security forces patrolled largely empty streets at dawn in the ‌capital, ​Caracas, on Saturday, hours after loud explosions woke ‌residents to the news that U.S. commandos had bombed the country and captured President Nicolas Maduro.

    Streets close to ​the Miraflores presidential palace were deserted except for checkpoints manned by uniformed gunmen, as residents expressed their shock at a U.S. military strike that left them guessing who ‍was now in charge of the oil-rich nation.

    Smoke ​streaked the sky, with a dark plume still billowing from the direction of the Port of La Guaira to the north, while another was visible near ​an air base in ⁠the capital.

    Most residents stayed home, devouring the latest information on their phones, while some went to stock up on groceries in case they need to hunker down for a prolonged period.

    For supporters of the opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, excitement was also in the air.

    “My sister, who is in the United States, woke me up with the news; she was crying. We cried together out of happiness,” said Jairo ‌Chacin, 39, a mechanic and workshop owner in oil hub Maracaibo, as he waited in a long line to stock up on groceries.

    “I ​went ‌out to check on my business ‍because I was afraid of ⁠looting, but the street is deserted. I wanted to fill up my gas tank, but the service stations are already closed, so I took the opportunity to buy food because we don’t know what’s coming. Honestly, I have a mix of fear and joy.”

    U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Maduro’s capture after months of pressuring him over accusations of drug-running and illegitimacy in power. It was the first such U.S. military intervention since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega.

    Soon after the capture of Maduro, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello appeared on state TV standing on the street and wearing a helmet and flak jacket, urging Venezuelans not ​to cooperate with the “terrorist enemy”.

    The Venezuelan opposition said in a statement on X that it had no official comment on the events.

    The overnight attack began at about 2 a.m. (0600 GMT), according to Reuters witnesses, who saw blasts, aircraft and black smoke across Caracas for roughly 90 minutes. Video verified by Reuters showed multiple explosions illuminating the night sky, followed by loud blasts. The attack left the southern area of the city, near a major military base, without electricity.

    “I couldn’t believe it. I saw it first on social media and then on television. Now, I want to know what will come next,” said Nancy Pérez, a 74-year-old woman who went out to a bakery near her home in Valencia, central Venezuela.

    One eyewitness video, authenticated by Reuters, captured fire and smoke rising above the Port of La Guaira. The location was confirmed by the port layout, road dividers and buildings, which matched file and satellite imagery. 

    Other verified videos captured ​explosions and smoke at the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base in eastern Caracas.

    Flight radar trackers on Saturday morning showed the airspace over Venezuela was completely empty.

        Carmen Marquez, 50, who lives in the east of the capital, said she went to her roof and could hear planes at different altitudes, though she could not see them.

    “Flare-like lights were crossing the sky and then explosions could be ​heard. We’re worried about what’s coming next. We don’t know anything from the government, only what the state television says,” she said.

    (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • US Carrying Out Strikes in Venezuela, US Official Says

    WASHINGTON, ‌Jan ​3 (Reuters) – ‌The United ​States ‍is ​carrying ​out strikes ⁠inside Venezuela, ‌a U.S. ​official told ‌Reuters ‍early on Saturday.

    The ⁠official, ​who was speaking on the condition of anonymity, did ​not provide details.

    (Reporting by ​Idrees Ali)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Trump Administration Aware of Reported Explosions in Venezuelan Capital, CBS Reporter Says

    Jan ‌3 (Reuters) – ​Trump administration ‌officials are ​aware ‍of reports ​of ​explosions and ⁠aircraft over Venezuela’s capital Caracas ‌early on ​Saturday morning, ‌CBS ‍reporter Jennifer ⁠Jacobs posted on X.

    The White ​House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

    (Reporting by ​Anusha Shah in Bengaluru; Editing ​by William Mallard)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Turkey’s Erdogan Says He Will Discuss Ukraine, Gaza With Trump on Monday

    ANKARA, Jan ‌2 (Reuters) – ​Turkish President ‌Tayyip Erdogan said ​he would ‍have a phone ​call ​with ⁠U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday to discuss peace efforts ‌between Ukraine and ​Russia as ‌well ‍as issues surrounding ⁠Gaza.

    Speaking to reporters in Istanbul on Friday, Erdogan also ​said Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing”, a group of nations backing Ukraine, ​in Paris in coming days.

    (Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; ​Editing by Jonathan Spicer )

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • China’s Xi to Host South Korea’s Lee in New Year Amid Japan Tensions

    SEOUL/BEIJING, Jan 2 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping will host South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on ‌a ​state visit starting on Sunday, signalling Beijing’s intent to strengthen ‌ties with Seoul amidst strained relations with Japan over Taiwan.

    The visit marks the second meeting between Xi and Lee in just ​two months, an unusually short interval that signals China’s keen interest in reinforcing ties with Seoul and boosting economic collaboration and tourism, analysts say.

    Relations between China and Japan are at their chilliest point in ‍years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in ​November a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

    Xi’s invitation to Lee for a state visit from Sunday is a calculated move aimed at deepening bilateral relations especially ​before the South Korean ⁠leader visits Japan, analysts say.

    “China wants to emphasize South Korea’s importance slightly more than before,” said Kang Jun-young, professor of political economics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

    “China appears to have strategically decided that it would be better to have (Lee) visit China before South Korea holds a summit with Japan again,” he added.

    The Lee administration has said it aims to “restore” ties with Beijing, acknowledging China is South Korea’s largest trading partner.

    The pivot follows the two countries’ strained relations under Lee’s predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, due to his closer alignment with ‌Washington and Tokyo, as well as criticism of China’s handling of Taiwan.

    Now, South Korea is trying to maintain balance but leaning towards cooperation with China to avoid being ​forced ‌into any troubles that would threaten the ‍Asian industrial powerhouse.

    Lee said in December he ⁠wouldn’t take sides in the diplomatic dispute between China and Japan.

    U.S. ALLIANCE AND NORTH KOREA 

    Still, China and South Korea face complex issues as China challenges the U.S., South Korea’s major ally in the region, and as nuclear-armed North Korea remains unpredictable.

    China is North Korea’s major ally and economic lifeline.

    Shin Beom-chul, a former South Korean vice defence minister and a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute, said Xi and Lee might discuss some contentious issues such as efforts to modernise the South Korea- U.S. alliance that apparently aim to curb China’s dominance.

    Currently, about 28,500 U.S. troops are based in South Korea to counter any threat from North Korea.

    U.S. officials have signalled a plan to make those U.S. forces more flexible to respond to other threats, such as defending Taiwan and checking China’s growing military ​reach.

    “Korea is not simply responding to threats on the peninsula,” General Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said at a forum on Dec. 29. “Korea sits at the crossroads of broader regional dynamics that shape the balance of power across Northeast Asia.” he said.

    Lee’s agenda with Xi includes persuading China to facilitate dialogue with North Korea, experts said.  

    North Korea has dismissed Lee’s outreach, labelling him a “hypocrite” and “confrontational maniac”.

    Meanwhile, China and North Korea have been seeking closer coordination as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood shoulder to shoulder with Xi in September at a big military parade.

    TECH, SUPPLY CHAINS AND K-POP

    Lee’s visit to Beijing is expected to address cooperation in areas including critical minerals, supply chain and green industries, his office said earlier.

    Seoul sources nearly half of its supply of rare earth minerals, critical to semiconductor manufacturing, come from China. Beijing also accounts for a third of Seoul’s annual chip exports, the largest market by far.

    Last month, South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao agreed to work towards stable rare earth supplies, the South Korean industry ministry said. 

    The visit may also foster partnerships on artificial intelligence ​and advanced technologies, experts said.

    China’s Huawei Technologies plans to roll out the Ascend 950 AI chips in South Korea next year, aiming to provide an alternative to Nvidia for Korean firms, Huawei’s South Korea CEO Balian Wang told a press conference last month.

    Wang mentioned ongoing discussions with potential customers, without naming those clients.

    Huawei did not address questions from Reuters about Wang’s comments.

    Another issue at stake is Beijing’s effective ban on K-pop content since around the 2017 deployment of a U.S.-led missile defence ​system in South Korea.

    The chief executive of SM Entertainment, a leading K-pop agency will join Lee’s business delegation, according to local media.

    (Additional reporting by Brenda Goh, Hyunjoo Jin, Heejin Kim, Writing by Ju-min Park; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • US Federal Workers Challenge Trump Policy on Gender-Affirming Care

    Jan 1 (Reuters) – A group of federal ‌government ​employees on Thursday filed ‌a class action complaint against President Donald Trump’s administration ​over a new policy that will eliminate coverage for gender-affirming care in ‍federal health insurance programs.

    The ​Human Rights Campaign Foundation made the complaint against the U.S. ​Office of ⁠Personnel Management on behalf of the federal employees as the new policy took effect with the start of the new year. 

    OPM in an August letter stated that in 2026 “chemical and surgical modification of an ‌individual’s sex traits through medical interventions” will no longer be ​covered under ‌health insurance programs for ‍federal ⁠employees and U.S. postal workers.

    OPM officials could not be reached for immediate comment.

    The complaint argues that the policy is discriminatory on the basis of sex. It asks that the policy be rescinded and seeks payment for economic damages and other relief.

    If the issue is not resolved with the ​OPM, the foundation said that plaintiffs will pursue class claims before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and potentially pursue a class action lawsuit in federal court.

    A group of Democratic state attorneys general last month sued the Trump administration to block proposed rules that would cut children’s access to gender-affirming care, the latest court battle over Trump’s efforts to eliminate legal protections for transgender people.

    U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert ​F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed rules that would bar hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children from Medicaid and Medicare and prohibit the Children’s Health Insurance Program from paying for ​it.

    (Reporting by Karen Brettell in New York; editing by Scott Malone and Nick Zieminski)

    Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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