Trump launches war on Venezuela

Early this morning, January 3, the United States carried out a special operation in Venezuela as part of a long-prepared objective. During the operation, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were detained and taken out of the country.

So how did events unfold leading up to this moment?

Back in 2020, during Donald Trump’s first presidential term, the United States accused Maduro, who had been in power since 2013, of narco-terrorism and conspiring with criminal groups to traffic cocaine into the country. At the time, Washington offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest, later increasing the amount to $25 million.

In July 2024, Maduro declared victory in Venezuela’s presidential election and secured a third term. The opposition, however, claimed that Edmundo González won more than 70 percent of the vote. Opposition forces published protocols from over 80 percent of polling stations, indicating a decisive victory for González. The National Electoral Council, which declared Maduro the winner, did not release the official protocols. The opposition described the results as falsified, after which mass protests erupted across the country.

Subsequently, the U.S. government stated that the election results did not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people. Washington recognized opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate winner. In addition, in the autumn of 2024, U.S. authorities seized Maduro’s aircraft, a move that Venezuela described as “piracy.”

In January last year, Donald Trump returned to office for a second term as U.S. president. He soon announced large-scale plans to combat international drug trafficking, identifying Venezuela, ruled by the Maduro regime for more than 12 years, as one of the primary targets.

In August 2025, the United States announced a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi openly accused Maduro of using “foreign terrorist organizations” to facilitate the flow of deadly drugs and violence into the United States. Shortly afterward, in late August, the U.S. Navy deployed seven vessels to the southern Caribbean near Venezuela as part of an expanded counter-narcotics operation. In mid-September, the U.S. carried out its first strike on a boat traveling from Venezuela toward the United States. Similar operations have been conducted several times since.

In November 2025, Trump issued a major statement in which he questioned the likelihood of a full-scale U.S.–Venezuela war, but said that Maduro’s days as president were numbered.

“I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they treated us very badly, not only with drugs — they also sent hundreds of thousands of people into our country that we didn’t want,” the White House leader said.

When asked whether Maduro would soon leave office, Trump answered “yes” without hesitation.

“Maduro is living out his final days as president,” Trump said at the time.

Meanwhile, media reports suggested that the United States had given Maduro an opportunity to flee to Russia. However, that did not happen. Today, January 3, explosions were reported in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. Power was cut in the southern part of the city, where a major military base is located. It later emerged that Trump had ordered strikes on several targets in Venezuela, including military facilities. Shortly afterward, Trump personally announced on his Truth Social platform that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been detained and removed from the country.

“President Nicolás Maduro and his wife have been detained and taken out of the country. This operation was carried out in cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies. Details will be announced later,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau also commented on the events, stating that Maduro must face justice for his crimes.

“A new era for Venezuela. The tyrant is gone,” he said.

According to media reports, Maduro was detained by fighters from the U.S. Army’s Delta Force special operations unit.

“My sources report that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by the elite U.S. military special forces unit, Delta Force,” a journalist said.

For reference, Delta Force is the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment, established by the U.S. Department of Defense in the late 1970s. The unit has taken part in nearly all major U.S. military operations. Notably, Delta Force participated in the 1989 operation in Panama, during which the United States overthrew President Manuel Noriega under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.

Following the capture of its president, Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it described as open U.S. aggression against the country.

“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects, condemns, and brings to the attention of the international community the open military aggression carried out by the current government of the United States against Venezuelan territory and population, including civilian and military areas in the capital Caracas, as well as in the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira,” the statement said.

The ministry stressed that the actions constitute a gross violation of the UN Charter and pose a threat to peace and international stability, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, placing millions of lives at serious risk.

“The purpose of this attack is nothing more than an attempt to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, especially oil and minerals, and to forcibly undermine the country’s political independence. This will not succeed,” the statement added.

Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López also stated that the United States had carried out strikes on populated areas. He said information on possible casualties, injuries, and damage was still being verified.

“The Bolivarian National Armed Forces inform the entire international community that early this morning, January 3, the Venezuelan people were subjected to the most criminal military aggression by the government of the United States. Information on the wounded and the dead is currently being collected,” the minister said.

One of the first leaders to respond to the U.S. attack was Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who urged the world to pay attention to the unfolding events and called on the United Nations to convene an emergency meeting.

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also commented on the U.S. attack on Venezuela, describing it as deeply alarming and condemnable. The ministry said the justifications used to defend the action were unfounded, adding that ideological hostility had prevailed over pragmatism, trust, and readiness for predictable relations.

“In the current situation, it is crucial to prevent further escalation and to seek solutions through dialogue. We believe that all parties, even those with opposing positions, must look for ways to resolve problems through diplomatic means. We are ready to support such efforts,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

According to official Moscow, Latin America should remain a zone of peace, as declared in 2014. Venezuela, it added, must be guaranteed the right to determine its own future without external interference, especially military intervention.

“We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our support for the policies of the Bolivarian leadership aimed at defending national interests and sovereignty,” the statement said.

The ministry also expressed Russia’s support for calls by the Venezuelan government and Latin American leaders to urgently convene a meeting of the UN Security Council.

Following these events, Maduro’s fate remains unclear. The New York Times reported that the Venezuelan government does not know the president’s current whereabouts. A press conference is expected to be held soon at the U.S. president’s residence in Florida, where further details are anticipated to be made public.