International condemnation
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said “the military operation that led to Maduro’s capture violates the principle of non-use of force that underpins international law.” European Commission President António Costa said he had “great concern” about the situation in Venezuela following the operation.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement posted to its Telegram channel Saturday, condemned what it called an “act of armed aggression” by the United States against Venezuela. Maduro’s government had been backed by Moscow. China’s Foreign Ministry issued a similar condemnation, saying the operation violated international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty.
Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) wrote on X: “This war is illegal, it’s shameful that we’ve gone from being the world’s police to being the world’s bully in less than a year. There’s no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.”
The path forward
The overnight extradition of Maduro and his wife raised immediate questions about the legal basis for the operation. Trump did not detail his administration’s legal justification at the press conference.
The Saturday operation marked the second time Trump ordered military action against a U.S. adversary since taking office — in June, he directed U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The Venezuela action came as Trump is also seeking a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and an end to Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
Trump said Venezuela would have “no chance” of recovering without continued U.S. involvement. “If we just left, Venezuela would have no chance of recovering. We’ll run it properly. We’ll run it professionally,” he said, adding that major oil companies would be brought in to invest “billions and billions of dollars.”
Trump said he was not ready to commit to any specific leader for Venezuela. The country’s opposition regards exiled politician Edmundo González — an ally of opposition leader María Corina Machado — as the legitimate president. Trump said his administration could not “risk letting someone else run Venezuela who simply takes over where Maduro left off.”
Rubio’s role and domestic reaction
The operation was the culmination of a months-long push within the administration led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had overseen a buildup of U.S. forces in the Caribbean and dozens of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers the administration claimed were linked to Maduro’s government.
Rubio used the moment to warn Cuba, a U.S. adversary and former backer of Maduro. “If I lived in Havana and was in the government, I would be worried, at least a little,” he said.
In southern Florida, home to a large Venezuelan diaspora that has long opposed Maduro, Saturday’s operation was celebrated. Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) compared Maduro’s capture to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Venezuelan political dynamics
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, in a speech to the nation Saturday, demanded the United States release Maduro while leaving open the possibility of dialogue with Trump. Rubio held a lengthy phone call with Rodríguez on Saturday, according to Trump.
Prior attempts at a negotiated exit for Maduro had collapsed. The Associated Press reported in October that Venezuelan government officials had proposed Maduro resign in three years and transfer power to Rodríguez, who would complete his term without seeking reelection. The White House rejected the proposal, citing its position that Maduro’s government was illegitimate and that he oversaw what it called a narco-terrorist state.
Trump also acknowledged broader geopolitical risks. Allies and adversaries abroad have been watching to see what conclusions Chinese President Xi Jinping — who has pledged to annex self-governed Taiwan — and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with his own territorial ambitions, might draw from the United States’ demonstrated willingness to use military force in its hemisphere.