Venezuela live updates: interim president offers to ‘collaborate’ with US after Trump warns of further strikes | Venezuela
important events
Nicolás Maduro to appear in Manhattan federal court He will face narco-terrorism charges later today.
63-year-old Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in prison in Brooklyn following their capture by US forces.
Both will appear before a U.S. District Judge, scheduled for noon EST (5 p.m. GMT). Alvin K Hellerstein.
It is unclear whether either has retained an attorney or whether they will enter a plea.
The president of Venezuela was captured, taken to the United States, and is currently on trial in New York. What does his audacious dismissal mean? Nicolas Maduro What does it mean for the country and the world?
Find out in our podcast here:
Petro tells Trump to ‘stop slandering me’
president of colombia Gustavo Peter He rejected the threats Donald Trump and accusations that the US president is a drug trafficker.
Trump on Sunday threatened Colombia with military action similar to the weekend raid on Venezuela, saying Colombia was “run by a sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it to the United States” but that he “won’t be doing that for very long.”
Petro denied the accusations, saying his “name does not appear in court records.”
“Stop slandering me, Mr. Trump,” Petro said on X on Sunday.
That’s not how you threaten a Latin American president who came out of the armed struggle and the subsequent struggle of the Colombian people for Peace.
According to Agence France-Presse, Petro harshly criticized the Trump administration’s military action in the region and accused Washington of kidnapping Maduro “without legal basis.”
“Friends don’t bomb,” Petro added in a later post to X on Sunday.
Analysis: European leaders appear divided over new world order
Patrick Wintour
European leaders were divided and divided, trying to welcome the removal of Venezuela’s authoritarian president while still defending principles of international law that do not allow it. Donald Trump capture Nicolas MaduroLet alone declaring that the United States will rule Venezuela and control its oil industry.
Europe has sought to focus on the principle of democratic transition, pointing out that the continent has not recognized Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela since what were deemed fraudulent elections in June 2024.
But Trump’s rejection of the Nobel-winning Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina MachadoIt was strange. Trump said he had no support or respect in Venezuela, but European leaders embraced him as leading an opposition deserving of power.
You can read the full analysis here:
Donald Trump He threatened a second American attack on Venezuela if the remaining members of his government did not cooperate with his efforts to “fix” the country.
In his comments aboard Air Force One, the president also says the United States is now “responsible” for Venezuela and praises U.S. forces involved in what he called a “very dangerous operation” to capture Maduro.
Keir Starmer When asked if he would condemn US action in Venezuela, he said he wanted to wait and talk to her to “get the facts out”. Donald TrumpWhile he insisted that Britain would “shed no tears” over the end of the Maduro regime.
But some of the British prime minister’s lawmakers have been more outspoken, criticizing America’s actions as a violation of international law.
Labor Party Member of Parliament Kim Johnson His colleague questioned “Whether we, as a country, still stand behind international law and sovereignty?” Richard Burgon He described Starmer’s statement as “disgraceful and reckless”.
former shadow chancellor John McDonnell He accused the government of “lying” and said “our country has effectively been turned into a Trump colony.”
In a post about Labor MP X Clive Lewis He said of the US action: “It is a clear violation of the Nuremberg principles that the UK helped write.
Now a [Labour government] he doesn’t even defend them. This silence is not diplomacy. This is the moral equivalent of the white flag.
Opening summary
Hello, welcome to our live coverage of the aftermath of US forces capturing the Venezuelan president. Nicolas Maduro He took her to the United States to face drug charges in Caracas.
Donald Trump He said earlier on Saturday that the United States would “rule” Venezuela after the military operation and warned on Sunday that the United States could launch a second attack if the remaining members of the government did not cooperate with his efforts to “fix” the country.
Venezuelan vice president and Maduro ally Delcy Rodriguez He was appointed acting president and offered to “cooperate” with the Trump administration on an issue that could lead to a major shift in relations between the governments.
In a conciliatory message posted on Instagram on Sunday, he said he hoped to establish “respectful relationships” with Trump.
“We invite the U.S. government to cooperate with us on a cooperation agenda for common development within the framework of international law to strengthen the lasting coexistence of societies,” Rodríguez said.
In an earlier televised speech, Rodríguez gave no indication that he would cooperate with Trump, saying what was being done to Venezuela was “an atrocity that violates international law,” referring to the Trump government as “extremists” and asserting that Maduro was the true leader of Venezuela.
But Trump later warned that Rodríguez “will pay a very big price, probably a bigger price than Maduro” if he doesn’t toe the line.
In other important developments:
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Rodríguez announced that a commission will be established to release Maduro and his wifeCilia Flores.
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Maduro in a detention center in New York He expects to appear in court Monday on drug charges.
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Senior officials in Maduro’s government called the capture of Maduro and his wife a kidnapping. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said, “No one should fall for the provocations of the enemy.”
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Trump administration calls capture of Maduro a duty of law enforcement forcing him to face criminal charges filed in the US in 2020, including narco-terrorism conspiracy. Maduro has denied involvement in the crime.
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Maduro’s son, Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, reportedly said that his father’s supporters are more determined than ever to support Maduro and the overthrown president would return. “We will go out on the streets and bring the people together”
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Trump suggests Colombia and Mexico may also face military action If they had not reduced the flow of illegal drugs to the USA by saying “Operation Colombia is good for me”.
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Images of 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed stunned Venezuelans. The operation was Washington’s most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.
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Venezuelan defense minister General Vladimir Padrino said on state television that soldiers and civilians were killed in the US attack and “a large portion” of Maduro’s security team “in cold blood.” He said Venezuela’s armed forces were mobilized to guarantee sovereignty.
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Cuban government announced that 32 of its citizens were killed During the raid.
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The governments of Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay said in a joint statement that the US’s actions “set an extremely dangerous precedent.” It targets peace and regional security and endangers the civilian population.”
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All EU countries except Hungary issued a statement calling for restraint by “all actors” and respecting the will of the Venezuelan people to “restore democracy.”
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain did not attack but declines to condemn. British cabinet minister Darren Jones, a close ally of Starmer He called for a peaceful transition of power to be achieved “quickly” in Venezuela.
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Trump says the US will not pressure immediate elections to form a new government Instead, he would prefer to work with the remaining members of Maduro’s administration to crack down on drug trafficking and overhaul the oil industry. He said US oil companies need “full access” to the country’s vast reserves.
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Hundreds of Chavista supporters gathered in Caracus Sunday to demand the release of Maduro and Flores.
With news agencies
