Following the January 3, 2026, U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores, Donald Trump announced temporary U.S. control over Venezuela pending transition, amid celebrations by opposition and exiles, condemnations from allies like Russia and China, and a pending UN Security Council debate.
In updates after 'Operation Absolute Resolution,' Trump confirmed the capture from Mar-a-Lago, stating: 'We're going to run Venezuela until we can achieve a safe transition.' He outlined U.S. oil company investments, including potential sales to Russia. Maduro was flown from Guantánamo to New York on a Boeing 757 and detained at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, facing narcotrafficking and terrorism charges from Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice named Delcy Rodríguez interim president for up to 90 days. Opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia hailed it: 'The hour of freedom has arrived.'
Internationally, Russia and China decried the action as a 'kidnapping,' while the UK and France supported a peaceful transition. In Argentina, President Javier Milei endorsed it: 'You're on the side of good or the side of evil.' Thousands of Venezuelan exiles celebrated at Buenos Aires' Obelisk, illuminated in Venezuelan flag colors; the government restricted chavista entries and demanded gendarme Nahuel Gallo's release. The UN Security Council is set to meet Monday to address the sovereignty implications.
