Venezuelans rejoice after U.S. President Donald Trump introduced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown in another country in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.
Esteban Felix/AP
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Esteban Felix/AP
The impression of the Trump administration’s gorgeous airstrikes and “capture” of Nicolás Maduro are already being felt properly past Venezuela’s borders — probably the most vital U.S. intervention within the area for the reason that 1989 invasion of Panama.
President Gustavo Petro in neighboring Colombia, introduced that safety forces had been deployed alongside the border to organize for a attainable refugee inflow. Colombia hosts the biggest Venezuelan diaspora.
Petro confirmed a number of strikes in Caracas, together with a army airbase, different installations, and the legislative constructing. He condemned the assault as an aggression in opposition to Venezuela and Latin America, urging de-escalation.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned the U.S. assault on neighboring Venezuela and the seizure of Maduro, saying the strikes “crossed an unacceptable line” and set a “dangerous precedent.”
Lula mentioned the motion evoked “the worst moments of interference” in Latin America and threatened the area’s standing as a zone of peace. Regardless of his previous alliance with Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez, relations have cooled since Brazil refused to acknowledge Maduro’s disputed 2024 election victory, broadly dismissed as fraudulent.
Different regional powers, together with Chile and Mexico, echoed sturdy condemnation. Mexico known as the strikes a violation of the U.N. Constitution and urged a direct halt to acts of aggression. In a Fox Information interview on Saturday, President Trump mentioned Mexico was run by drug cartels and he mentioned quote “something is gonna have to be done with Mexico.”
Cuba and Nicaragua — two of Venezuela’s closest allies — are carefully monitoring the disaster. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel labeled the U.S. motion “state terrorism” and known as for pressing worldwide intervention.
Cuba, going through its most extreme financial disaster for the reason that fall of the Soviet Union, depends closely on Venezuelan oil. Any disruption might worsen an already dire scenario, and the federal government in Havana – which has been in energy since 1959 – has been watching the unfolding scenario carefully.
What’s subsequent: the worldwide stage
Shut allies China and Russia have additionally reacted. Russia condemned the strikes, reaffirming solidarity with the Venezuelan individuals. In a press release, Russia’s International Ministry known as the Trump administration’s pretext for attacking Venezuela unfounded and mentioned if the stories of Maduro’s seize had been true, the U.S. motion marked an “unacceptable assault” on Venezuela’s sovereignty.
Regardless of such expressions of help, Moscow has stopped wanting difficult the U.S. extra forcefully amid a months-long strain marketing campaign by the Trump administration in opposition to the Venezuelan management.
China mentioned it strongly opposed the U.S. motion condemning the transfer as a violation of worldwide regulation. In a press release, the international ministry mentioned Beijing was “deeply shocked” by what it known as Washington’s “blatant use of force” in opposition to a sovereign state, arguing it infringed Venezuela’s sovereignty and threatened peace and safety in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Venezuela has known as for an emergency U.N. Safety Council assembly, elevating questions in regards to the legality of the U.S. operation.
