Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have arrived in New York where they will face prosecution.
The US will 'run' Venezuela until there can be a 'proper transition', says Trump - as Maduro arrives in New York
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have arrived in New York where they will face prosecution.
President Maduro and his wife were taken by US forces and arrived in New York on Saturday evening, where they will soon face prosecution.
On Sunday, the White House’s rapid response account on X posted a video appearing to show Maduro handcuffed and escorted by law enforcement agents. The video was captioned “perp walked”.
The operation followed months of pressure from Washington on the oil-rich South American nation.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, the President has said the US will "run" Venezuela following Maduro's capture.
He said: "So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition and it has to be a judicious because that's what we're all about.
"We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country."
Trump warned that the US is prepared to stage a second, "much larger" attack if needed.
A second attack was originally planned but the first attack turned out to be sufficient for now, Trump said
Trump also issued a stark warning to other countries, saying: "This extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives."
Cuba and Colombia were specifically mentioned as countries that should be concerned.
Trump accused left-wing leader, Gustavo Petro of "making cocaine... so he does have to watch his ass".
Marco Rubio also said the communist Cuban government should be concerned.
The goal of all this was to "surround ourselves with stability" and to reassert "American power in our home region", Trump said.
The US President claimed he will make the people of Venezuela "rich, independent and safe", as he promised they will "not suffer anymore".
He also spoke of the oil industry in Venezuela, which he said "has been a bust for a long time".
"They've not been pumping what they could have been pumping", Trump said.
"Our very large United States Oil companies will go in and fix the bad oil infrastructure and start making money for the country."
Asked about who could lead the country after Maduro's departure, Trump said it is unlikely it will be Maria Corina Machado.
Venezuela's opposition leader, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, "doesn't have the support", Trump said.
Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores will face American justice for “their campaign of deadly narco terrorism against the United States and its citizens", the President added.
Facing charges in the Southern District of New York, President Maduro is accused of a slew of drugs and weapons charges, including:
- narco-terrorism conspiracy
- cocaine importation conspiracy
- possession of machine guns and destructive devices
- and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the US
Speaking to Fox News earlier in the day, Trump praised his military and said he watched the events unfolding "like I was watching a television show".
He said it was an "amazing job" and "extremely complex" manoeuvre, which he watched from Mar-a-Lago.
Trump said that Maduro was in a "highly guarded fortress" when he was captured.
He also revealed they were meant to go ahead the operation four days ago, but weren't able to because of the weather.
Trump confirmed that no American service personnel were killed in the operation, nor did the US lose any military equipment.
Low-flying aircraft, loud explosions and columns of smoke were seen and heard during the early hours of Saturday morning, with several locations targeted across the capital.
In response, Venezuela said it deployed its armed forces for the "integral defence of the nation".
The action follows threats from Trump and ramped up military pressure against Maduro linked to what the US President claims to be an ongoing war on drug cartels.
However, Venezuela's government was seen to denounce the aggression, accusing the US of "attempting to forcibly break the nation's political independence".
It comes as opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado - a figure backed by Trump - added that she is focused on achieving a peaceful transition.
"We have plans and teams ready to take control on day one," she said, outlining that she wasn't involved in any part of the US decision making process.
Sir Keir Starmer says he has not yet spoken to Donald Trump about the "fast moving situation", but went on to add: "I will want to talk to the president, I will want to talk to allies."
When asked about Trump's claims that he had 'captured' Venezuelan President Maduro, Starmer was seen to add: "I want to establish the facts first.
"As you know, I always say and believe that we should uphold international law."
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage branded the actions of the US "unorthodox" and "contrary to international law" but failed to go as far as condemning the strikes.
"The American actions in Venezuela overnight are unorthodox and contrary to international law — but if they make China and Russia think twice, it may be a good thing.
"I hope the Venezuelan people can now turn a new leaf without Maduro."
إرسال تعليق