Venezuela Highlights: 'Run by a sick man' — Trump threatens military operation against Colombia

In a long post on X. here what US Vice President JD Vance said: "You see a lot claims that Venezuela has nothing to do with drugs because most of the fentanyl comes from elsewhere. I want to address this:

First off, fentanyl isn't the only drug in the world and there is still fentanyl coming from Venezuela (or at least there was).

Second, cocaine, which is the main drug trafficked out of Venezuela, is a profit center for all of the Latin America cartels. If you cut out the money from cocaine (or even reduce it) you substantially weaken the cartels overall. Also, cocaine is bad too!

Third, yes, a lot of fentanyl is coming out of Mexico. That continues to be a focus of our policy in Mexico and is a reason why President Trump shut the border on day one.

Fourth, I see a lot of criticism about oil. About 20 years ago, Venezuela expropriated American oil property and until recently used that stolen property to get rich and fund their narcoterrorist activities. I understand the anxiety over the use of military force, but are we just supposed to allow a communist to steal our stuff in our hemisphere and do nothing? Great powers don't act like that.

The United States, thanks to President Trump's leadership, is a great power again. Everyone should take note."

Trump said recently that "Colombia is run by a sick man, he's not going to be doing it for very long."

When asked if there will be an operation by the US in Colombia, Trump said, "Sounds good to me."

The leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Sunday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland, after he reiterated his wish to do so in an interview with The Atlantic magazine.

"It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland. The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish Kingdom," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday. (Reuters)

The European Union on Sunday said respect for the will of the Venezuelan people was the "only way" to "restore democracy", one day after the United States seized president Nicolas Maduro.

In a statement supported by 26 member states -- all except Hungary -- the EU's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas called for "calm and restraint by all actors, to avoid escalation and to ensure a peaceful solution to the crisis".

"Respecting the will of the Venezuelan people remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy and resolve the current crisis," it said. (AFP)

Venezuela’s military on Sunday recognised Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as the country’s acting president, according to AFP.

Vance said there were frequent claims that Venezuela was not linked to drug trafficking because most fentanyl originates elsewhere, but argued this view was misleading. He noted that fentanyl is not the only drug involved and that Venezuela has also been a source of fentanyl in the past.

He added that cocaine, the primary drug trafficked from Venezuela, is a major revenue stream for Latin American cartels, and cutting or reducing those profits would significantly weaken them. He also stressed that cocaine itself is a serious and harmful drug.

“Third, yes, a lot of fentanyl is coming out of Mexico. That continues to be a focus of our policy in Mexico and is a reason why President Trump shut the border on day one,” he noted.

“Fourth, I see a lot of criticism about oil. About 20 years ago, Venezuela expropriated American oil property and until recently used that stolen property to get rich and fund their narcoterrorist activities. I understand the anxiety over the use of military force, but are we just supposed to allow a communist to steal our stuff in our hemisphere and do nothing? Great powers don't act like that,” he added.

Russia’s Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela were illegal but aligned with his approach of protecting American interests, according to the TASS news agency, reported Reuters.

“It must be acknowledged that, despite the obvious unlawfulness of Trump's behaviour, one cannot deny a certain consistency in his actions. He and his team defend their country's national interests quite harshly,” Medvedev told TASS.

Several Indian-American lawmakers slammed Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the US military to Venezuela and capture President Nicolás Maduro, arguing that the move amounted to an abuse of presidential authority and risked pulling the United States into another “open-ended conflict", according to PTI.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said that although Maduro is an “illegitimate dictator” responsible for widespread suffering in Venezuela, that fact does not grant any president unrestricted authority to use military force without congressional approval.

Congressman Ro Khanna said Trump had betrayed his MAGA (Make America Great Again) base by initiating a “war of choice” aimed at forcing regime change in Venezuela.

“What will we say now if (Chinese President) Xi Jinping wants to capture (President Lai Ching-te) Lai of Taiwan or (Russian President Vladimir) Putin tries to capture (President) Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine?” Khanna asked.

The Brooklyn facility where Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is being held has a troubled reputation, with some judges even refusing to send defendants there. Despite this, it has previously housed high-profile inmates such as music stars R. Kelly and Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to AP.

Opened in the early 1990s, the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC Brooklyn) currently holds around 1,300 inmates.

A tense calm enveloped Venezuela on Sunday, a day after President Nicolás Maduro was ousted and captured during a US military operation. The capital, Caracas, remained unusually quiet, with minimal traffic and most convenience stores, gas stations, and other businesses closed, according to AP.

The United States is prepared to cooperate with Venezuela’s remaining leaders if they take “the right decision,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday following the surprise US operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro.

“We're going to judge everything by what they do, and we're going to see what they do,” Rubio told CBS News’ Face the Nation program.

“I do know this: that if they don't make the right decision, the United States will retain multiple levers of leverage,” he added.

Spain condemned what it described as a breach of international law in Venezuela, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a letter to members of his Socialist Party on Sunday, following US President Donald Trump’s operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, as per Reuters.

His statement marked a stronger position than his comments on Saturday, when he had said he would not recognise the intervention.

Sanchez's letter termed the "violation of international law in Venezuela, an act that we strongly condemn".

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that on the situation in Venezuela, the Japanese government has repeatedly stressed the need to restore democracy in the country at the earliest possible time, according to ANI.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to address the recent US military operation and the capture of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, according to ANI.

According to the Council presidency, the session is set for 10 am local time and will be held under the agenda item “Threats to international peace and security.”

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States late Saturday to face criminal charges after being seized in a daring nighttime military operation. President Donald Trump said the move would position the US to “run” the South American nation and access its extensive oil reserves for sale to other countries, according to AP.

Maduro touched down at a small airport in New York after the overnight mission that removed him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence at a military base in Caracas—an action his government described as “imperialist.” Both Maduro and Flores are accused by US authorities of involvement in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Leo, first US Pope, urged that Venezuela should stay independent, calls for upholding human rights. Good of Venezuelan people 'must prevail' over all other considerations, he added, according to Reuters.

Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is monitoring the situation in Venezuela closely, hoping that future developments will align with the best interests of the Venezuelan people.

The ministry noted that since Venezuelan authorities recognised Georgia’s occupied regions, Abkhazia and the so-called South Ossetia, as independent states in clear violation of international law, they hope recent events will result in the reversal of this unlawful decision, consistent with Georgia’s national interests and international legal norms.

Oman’s Foreign Ministry, commenting on the situation in Venezuela, stated that it continues to support international law and upholds respect for national sovereignty, according to Reuters. Oman called on all parties to show restraint and maintain open channels of dialogue to avoid further escalation.

Sri Lanka’s ruling party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) on Sunday condemned the US' invasion of Venezuela and capture of elected President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, as per PTI.

“We believe that nobody will approve of the forceful military aggression against Venezuela by the United States of America,” JVP, a major stakeholder in the ruling National People's Power (NPP), said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated US President Donald Trump on the successful completion of the operation in Venezuela. He also praised the efforts of the US soldiers involved.

In a post on X, Netanyahu wrote, "Congratulations, President Donald Trump for your bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice. I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers."

North Korea has called the US strikes on Venezuela “the most serious form of encroachment on sovereignty”, according to Reuters.

As per Reuters, one source said a core group, including senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, worked on the matter for months, holding frequent meetings and calls, sometimes on a daily basis. They also regularly met with the president.

According to people briefed on the mission, a CIA source inside the Venezuelan government tracked Nicolás Maduro’s whereabouts in the days and even moments leading up to his capture by US special operations forces, reported The New York Times. Beginning in August, the CIA also deployed a covert team of officers inside Venezuela who collected intelligence on Maduro’s daily routines and movements, a person familiar with the effort said.

How the agency recruited the Venezuelan insider remains unclear. However, former officials noted that the CIA was likely assisted by the US government’s $50 million reward for information that would lead to Maduro’s apprehension, the report noted.

The Ministry of External Affairs (ME) on Sunday voiced deep concern at the situation in Venezuela. It added that they were closely monitoring the situation. "Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation," the statement said.

"India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region," as per the statement.

"The Embassy of India in Caracas is in contact with members of the Indian community and will continue to provide all possible assistance," the statement added.

China called on the US on Sunday to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after Washington carried out a strike on Caracas and captured the leader.

"China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, release them at once, stop toppling the government of Venezuela," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, calling the strike a "clear violation of international law".

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in a New York jail Saturday, hours after American special forces seized and flew him out of his country - which Donald Trump said would come under effective US control.

“Nicolas Maduro had his chance — until he didn’t. The Trump Admin will always defend American citizens against all threats, foreign and domestic,” the White House wrote, posting a new video

The ongoing crisis in Venezuela is unlikely to have any material economic or energy impact for India, asserted India-based think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).

The GTRI, in a note, asserted that India was a major buyer of Venezuelan crude in the 2000s and 2010s.

Elon Musk said that in support of the people of Venezuela, Starlink will provide free broadband service to them from February 3.

Rep. María Elvira Salazar said in a statement, "President Trump kept his word. President Trump had the internal fortitude... No other President, Republican or Democrat, for the last 25 years... No one had that resolution of liberating the hemisphere from thugs like this Maduro."

Several US media reported that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has arrived at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC).

The United States has told airlines its curbs on Caribbean airspace will expire at midnight ET (0500 GMT) and flights could resume as schedules are quickly updated, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday.

A video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X showed Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City.

In an interview with CBS News on Saturday night, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth praised the troops involved in the mission to capture Maduro. He said, “President Trump sets the terms” on what comes next in Venezuela.

"It means we set the terms. President Trump sets the terms. And ultimately, he'll decide what the iterations are of that," Hegseth the defence secretary was quoted as saying.

"But, it means the drugs stop flowing, it means the oil that was taken from us is returned, ultimately, and that criminals are not sent to the United States," he said.

In a travel advisory issued on Sunday, the US urged Americans to “enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  to receive security updates.” It said the security situation in Venezuela remains fluid.

“Venezuela has the highest Travel Advisory level – Level 4: Do Not Travel – due to severe risks to Americans. US citizens in Venezuela should take precautions and be aware of their surroundings,” the advisory read.

“No commercial flights are currently operating in or out of Venezuela. US citizens in Venezuela should establish multiple methods of communication with friends and family outside of Venezuela. In March 2019, the U.S. Department of State withdrew all diplomatic personnel from U.S. Embassy Caracas and suspended operations. All consular services, routine and emergency, remain suspended. The U.S. government continues to be unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela,” it added.