Venezuela - US Conflict: News, Updates

• Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured and flown out of Venezuela after the US carried out a large-scale strike on the capital city of Caracas, US President Donald Trump announced in a post on social media. Trump said there will be a news conference today at 11 a.m. ET.

• US Attorney General Pam Bondi says Maduro has been indicted in New York on drugs and weapons charges. Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a GOP senator Maduro will stand trial in the US and that he anticipates no further action.

• Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said the government is unaware of the whereabouts of Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, adding the US attack has cost the lives of officials, military personnel and civilians across the country.
 
Is this a green light from America for China to invade Taiwan ???? Smile 😊
America has been wanting China to fall into the trap of attacking Taiwan for a long long time, but clever Chinese have so far been avoiding it. It's partly why Americans are so frustrated over China, the Chinese won't play the games the Americans want them to play.
 
  • Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that “the people of Venezuela must have a chance for a normal life, security, prosperity, and human dignity,” writing on X that his country had not recognized Maduro’s legitimacy following “rigged elections and violence against protestors.” “Thank you to everyone around the world who helps to protect life,” he posted.
  • Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Stenergard said on X that her country has “previously stated that Nicolas Maduro lacks legitimacy,” but added: “However, all states have a responsibility to respect and act in accordance with international law. Respecting international law is a long-term security policy interest for Sweden.”
  • The foreign ministry of Switzerland wrote on X that it was calling for “de-escalation, restraint, and respect for international law, including the prohibition of the use of force and the principle of respect for territorial integrity.” It said that it believes no Swiss nationals have been affected by the attacks and that it is closely monitoring the situation.
  • Austria’s foreign ministry said that a crisis team has been established to focus on the safety of its citizens in Venezuela. “A travel warning is in effect for the entire country!” it posted on X.
  • The Czech foreign ministry said that it is important to “calm the situation and initiate diplomatic negotiations, including with the participation of the Venezuelan opposition.” Its priority remains “the safety of Czech citizens and the provision of consular assistance,” it said on X.
 
  • Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani said her country “stands firmly” with US President Donald Trump after the strikes. “When America leads, we proudly stand together — because our collective freedom depends on it,” she posted on X.
  • Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the strikes a “dramatic development,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a post on X. “We need to get back on track toward de-escalation and dialogue. International law must be respected,” he said, according to the ministry.
 

Trump administration notifying congressional leadership of Maduro operation​


From CNN's Zachary Cohen

The Trump administration began notifying congressional leadership and key committees about the operation to detain Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after the fact, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday morning.

The justification provided by the administration was President Donald Trump’s authority under Article II of the US Constitution, which states the president is the commander-in-chief of the US military.

Earlier this morning, Republican US Sen. Mike Lee of Utah posted on social media that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him the action was in the service of protecting US personnel seeking to arrest Maduro and is legal under Article II.

In previous US miliary actions, presidential administrations have notified congressional leaders before the event but the Trump administration has often not.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair in a previous interview that US strikes in Venezuela would require congressional approval.
 
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US did not give Colombia advance warning of Venezuela operation, source says​

From CNN’s Isa Soares and Billy Stockwell

Members of the Colombian Army stand guard on the Colombian side of the Simon Bolivar International Bridge along the border with Venezuela, on January 3.


Members of the Colombian Army stand guard on the Colombian side of the Simon Bolivar International Bridge along the border with Venezuela, on January 3.
Mario Caicedo/EPA/Shutterstock
The United States did not give Colombia advance warning before launching its operation in Venezuela, but was aware of potential plans to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, according to a Colombian source.

Colombia did not know when or how the US planned to make the capture, the source told CNN.

The source added that Colombia is sending forces to its border with Venezuela “for humanitarian reasons but also to contain the ELN guerillas who have denounced US intervention inside Venezuela.”

Colombia has long been Washington’s most reliable ally in South America on security and defense. In November, the foreign minister of Colombia, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio Mapy, suggested that Maduro’s negotiated exit from the presidency would be the “healthiest” option available.
 

Bondi says Maduro will face "full wrath" of US justice on American soil​

From CNN's Kevin Liptak in West Palm Beach, Florida

US Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Oval Office at the White House on May 6.


US Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Oval Office at the White House .
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Nicolas Maduro will “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts” after he was arrested in Venezuela.

Writing on social media early Saturday morning, Bondi cited the indictment against Maduro charging him with “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.”

Maduro was indicted by the Southern District of New York in 2020, but it wasn’t clear what his exact whereabouts were on Saturday morning.

Bondi thanked Trump and the US military, who she said “conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers,” referring to Maduro and his wife.
 
No. Depends on Logistics.

For Pakistan it is perfect. Look at the map.

Its not just logistics. Pakistan and china became close beacause they were united by the same enemy and because both sides found it valuable to look past other differences to become closer allies
 

Russia seeks "immediate clarification" on US claims that it has captured Maduro​

From CNN’s Svitlana Vlasova and Billy Stockwell

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 7.


Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 7.

Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool/Reuters

The Russian Foreign Ministry called for “immediate clarification” on the situation in Venezuela Saturday, after the US said it had captured and removed President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from the country.

“We are extremely concerned by reports that Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife were forcibly removed from the country during today’s aggressive actions by the United States,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We call for immediate clarification of this situation,” it added.

Russia said that such actions, if true, constitute an “unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an independent state, respect for which is a key principle of international law,” the statement added.

The ministry earlier condemned what it called an “act of armed aggression against Venezuela” by the US, calling any “excuses” given to justify such actions “untenable.”
 
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Venezuelans celebrating
 

Analysis: Trump flexes a new level of unrestrained global power​

From CNN's Nick Paton Walsh

US President Trump's post is seen on the Truth social media app on January 3.


US President Trump's post is seen on the Truth social media app on January 3.
Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Expressions of unbridled power don’t come blunter than abducting a sitting president from his capital in the dead of night.

President Donald Trump has shown in a 74-word social media post that he can act decisively, suddenly and perhaps recklessly, in pursuit of his varied and varying foreign policy goals, with little regard for precedent, consequence or, it seems, international law.

The operation to take Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their heavily guarded location in Caracas to – presumably – face the American court system, does follow a predictable albeit extreme pattern for what the US calls a fugitive, with a $50 million bounty on his head.
 

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