Maduro: 'I am a prisoner of war'. Venezuela, government decree: 'Arrest anyone who supports the US'

The Trump administration will brief congressional leaders on the attack in Venezuela in the coming hours. The confidential briefing is for the leaders of the House and Senate and the chairmen of some committees.The White House did not inform Congress before the attack, sparking controversy. Donald Trump has repeatedly said he did not do so out of fear of a leak.

"The pTrump problem is solved, as George Clooney said the other day, with the mid term of the next election in November: we must start from the assumption that it is the Democrats in America who must stop Donald Trump". So says Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia viva, to In onda, on La7.

'This demonstration has been organised in more than 30 countries around the world'. This was told to LaPresse Maria Claudia Lopez, representative of the summit of the Venezuelan Democratic Coalition in Italy, who heads the party of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Corina Machado, former deputy of the National Assembly of Venezuela. López also pointed out that "our leader, Nobel Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, in a communiqué, broadcast about an hour ago, honours the Venezuelan people who took to the streets in more than 30 countries around the world to celebrate this enormous step that marks the inevitable, the irreversible and the imminent transition in Venezuela," López added. "This is the spirit of the demonstration and tomorrow we will be in the streets of Milan, Palermo, Rimini, Naples and many other places. Today we were also in Rome, Genoa, Parma, Florence,' he continued.

"The statement by Maria Corina Machado debunks the distorted interpretation of yesterday's speech by Donald Trump in which a confrontation with Maria Corina Machado was allegedly implied. Instead,both Maria Corina Machado and we bear voices thanking Trump for his steadfastness and determination to enforce the law, considering that Nicolas Maduro and his wife were the head of a transnational criminal organisation,' Lopez explained. 'The couple had already been convicted by the New York grand jury. We are confident that Venezuela, in its reconstruction, will count on the support and proximity of the United States for security, energy and democracy. We continue the work undertaken three years ago, we elected Maria Corina Machado and allowed the election of Edmundo Gonzalez in 2024, and we continue our work until the freedom of all 1,800 political prisoners, from the United States and Europe, who are still sequestered at this moment, is realised. We are certain that the freedom of Venezuela is near. Soon we will be able to celebrate and we will celebrate, in our land, the return of more than 8 million Venezuelans who had to flee the country, in order to survive,' he concluded.

The United States is preparing for the possibility that President Donald Trump may decide to reopen the US embassy in Caracas, after he said he was considering it. This is reported by some US media.

"The situation is not such that the United States can conquer Greenland. This is not the case. So we must not panic. We must restore the good cooperation we have had'. This was stated by Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen at a press conference in the capital Nuuk. Nielsen said he wanted to restore communication with the United States after US President Donald Trump's statements about his intention to bring the Danish autonomous territory under American control.

Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in today as interim president of Venezuela in front of the Caracas parliament, making official the post given to her by the Supreme Court after the US military intervention that seized incumbent President Nicolás Maduro. Rodríguez expressed her "sorrow" at having to take office "in the context of the suffering caused by the illegitimate US military aggression and the kidnapping of President Maduro and Cilia Flores".

"This is OUR hemisphere and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened". This was written by the US State Department above a photo of the US president in a post published immediately after Nicolas Maduro's first appearance in the New York courtroom.

"Any violation of popular sovereignty and any violation of international law will lead to serious complications within the international order, not the rule of law," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, close ally of Nicolas Maduro, told his American counterpart during a telephone conversation, stressing that "Venezuela must not sink into chaos or instability".

"Turkey does not want chaos, confusion or tensions in its region or elsewhere. Preserving a rules-based international system is therefore essential," Erdogan insisted after a cabinet meeting. "When force prevails over law, instability, crisis and conflict ensue," warned the Turkish president, who reiterated his friendship with Maduro.

"The military operation that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro is contrary to the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes and the principle of non-use of force. The proliferation of violations of the UN Charter and international law by states vested with responsibilities as permanent members of the Security Council undermines the very foundations of the international order." This was said by Paris' deputy ambassador to the UN, Jay Dharmadhikari, in the Security Council, warning that violating the Charter "undermines the foundations of the United Nations and weakens international peace and security".

The newly-elected head of Venezuela's parliament has promised to explore every avenue to 'bring back' President Nicolas Maduro. "My main function in the days to come... as president of this National Assembly, will be to resort to all procedures, all platforms and all avenues to bring back Nicolas Maduro Moros, my brother, my president," Jorge Rodriguez, brother of Maduro's former deputy and new interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, told parliamentarians.

Hundreds of people close to the chavista movement demonstrated in the streets of central Caracas, near the legislative palace, where the first session of the National Assemblyis taking place. For the demonstrators, the capture and removal of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, constitutes a 'kidnapping': from the square many slogans in favour of their release. Present at the procession were many public sector employees united by the conviction that the raid was an 'imperialist attack' by the United States. From the headquarters of the National Assembly, the re-elected president of parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, after being sworn in, said that the priority of his administration this year will be to obtain Maduro's return to Caracas.

The US Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, plans to meet with oil industry leaders this week,to discuss the restart of the Venezuelan energy sector, following the US blitz to capture President Nicolás Maduro. This was reported by the US media. Wright will attend the Goldman Sachs Energy, Clean Tech & Utilities conference this week in Miami, along with officials from Chevron, ConocoPhillips and other companies. Chevron is the only remaining oil supermajor in South America.

'I am a prisoner of war'. Nicolas Maduro said this in Spanish leaving the courtroom, where his feet were chained and he was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt over an orange prison jumpsuit. The American media reported this.

During the hearing that has just concluded, Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, stated that the deposed Venezuelan president has health problems that will require treatment. The lawyer for Cilia Flores, Maduro's wife, on the other hand, stated that she has injuries that will also require treatment. Neither lawyer provided specific details. Maduro's lawyer also pointed out to the judge that he could file motions regarding Maduro's role as head of a sovereign state and stated that "there are doubts about the legality of his kidnapping by the US military".

The next hearing for Nicolas Maduro is set for 17 March. This was decided by Judge Alvin Hellerstein. This was reported by the American media.

The son of Venezuela's deposed president Nicolas Maduro, MP Nicolas Maduro Guerra, reiterated his 'unconditional support' for interim president Delcy Rodríguez. "They may have kidnapped Nicolás and Cilia, but they have not kidnapped the conscience of a people who have decided to be free. To you, Delcy Eloína, goes my unconditional support for the hard task ahead of you," he explained during the opening session of parliament. "Count on me, on my family, on our steadfastness to take the correct steps at the helm of this responsibility that is yours today," Maduro Guerra declared.

For more: Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's 'tiger' at the helm of Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro identifies himself to Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Spanish: he confirms that he is Maduro and that he is the president of Venezuela. He then adds that he is in the courtroom 'kidnapped. I was captured in my house in Caracas'. This is reported by the American media. 'I am innocent, I am not guilty,' he added, pleading not guilty to the charges against him.

The first hearing of Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores is underway before a New York court. The Venezuelan leader must answer, among others, to charges of conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, illegal possession of weapons and conspiracy to import cocaine.

For more: Delta Force and the secret operation to capture Maduro and Cilia Flores in Venezuela

"We are not occupying a country: this was a police operation". This was stated by the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, in his address to the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the US military intervention in Venezuela, conducted "in execution of legitimate indictments that have existed for some time", he added, reiterating the words of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that "there is no war against Venezuela or its people". "The US has arrested a drug trafficker who will now be tried in the US, in accordance with the rule of law, for crimes committed against our people for 15 years," Waltz emphasises, reiterating that it was "a surgical law enforcement operation, facilitated by US military forces, against two fugitives indicted by US justice: the narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores". The former, he points out, "is responsible for attacks against the people of the US, the destabilisation of the Western Hemisphere, and the illegitimate repression of the people of Venezuela". The US representative draws a historical parallel with the arrest of former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega in 1989: "He was arrested, indicted and convicted in a court of law, serving his sentence in US and Panama prisons. The Panamanian people and the American people are safer because of this and, undeniably, the region has become more stable'.

The deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has hired renowned criminal lawyer Barry Pollack, who has long represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, as his defence counsel in the Manhattan criminal case. Pollack, a veteran D.C. lawyer, filed a request on Monday to appear as Maduro's lawyer in the Southern District of New York narcoterrorism case, ahead of a hearing scheduled for noon.

If the United States attacked a NATO country, it would be the end of "everything", warned Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, after President Donald Trump's new threats to annex Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. "If the US chose to militarily attack another Nato country, then everything would stop. Including our NATO and thus the security system established since the end of World War II,' Frederiksen told Tv2 television, adding thathe will do "everything possible to prevent this from happening".

"There is, nor can there be, any justification for the crimes cynically perpetrated by the US in Caracas. We strongly condemn the US act of armed aggression against Venezuela, in violation of all norms of international law." The Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, told the Security Council. "We call on the US leadership to immediately release the legitimately elected president of an independent state, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife," he added."Any existing conflict between the United States and Venezuela must be resolved through dialogue.

Read also: Ukraine, Trump-Putin axis: this is how the world order ends

"I can only say that Greenland, like the Faroe Islands, is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and since Denmark is a NATO member, Greenland will also be defended by NATO in principle. And if there are further needs to strengthen defence efforts concerning Greenland, we will have to discuss this within the alliance". This was stated by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul who travelled to Vilnius today to meet with his Lithuanian counterpart Kestutis Budrys.

Cilia Flores, the wife of Nicolas Maduro, will be represented in court by Mark Donnelly, a Texas attorney who assisted in the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Nbc reports.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned that the norms of international law were not respected in the military action of 3 January" in Venezuela, and recalls that "the UN Charter enshrines the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state"."The rule of law must prevail", he said at the Security Council meeting, in a speech delivered on his behalf by the head of political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo.

A dismissal, that of Nicolás Maduro, that melts the anguish of his opponents and opens up the unknowns of stability in a country, Venezuela, victim of the curse of black gold. The 300 billion barrels of oil (these are its 'proven reserves') make it terribly attractive; this overwhelms and nullifies any distinction between democracy, 'democradura', 'dictadura' and 'dictablanda'. The alpha and omega of Caribbean international politics can be described by two identical and antithetical forms of expression: 'nuestro petroleo' and 'our oil'. Venezuela and the United States have never renounced their claim to ownership in recent decades.

Everything else boils down to specious externalities: the fight against (alleged) drug trafficking, the (umpteenth) export of American democracy and the (true) illegitimacy of Maduro's last presidential term.

Venezuela marks the latest chapter in the global reset. This is underlined by analysts at Janus Henderson, commenting on the US blitz in Venezuela that led to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro. "Although this development has symbolic weight,its immediate impact on global markets is likely to be modest," they explain. "The more relevant aspect may lie in its long-term significance, as part of a broader macroeconomic factor of geopolitical realignment.

'The negative impact of the economic and political difficulties Venezuela has faced over the past two decades, in addition to the sanctions, has led many companies in developed markets to abandon the market altogether,' they say. 'For the few that still have residual exposure to Venezuela (Chevron, Repsol, Telefónica), a more stable political environment could provide additional relief.

About a dozen tankers loaded with Venezuelan crude oil and fuel have left the South American country's waters in shadowy mode since the beginning of the year, according to documents seen by Reuters and industry sources, including the monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. The movements hint atpotential breaking of the strict blockade imposed by US President Donald Trump before the US raid and capture of President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday morning. Trump has stated that the oil embargo is still in place. According to TankerTrackers.com and shipping documents from the Venezuelan state oil company Pdvsa, all of the ships identified are subject to sanctions and most of them are supertankers that usually transport Venezuelan crude to China. A separate group of smaller ships, also subject to sanctions, left the country after unloading imported goods or completing domestic voyages.

At least four of the departed oil tankers left Venezuelan waters on Saturday via a route north of Margarita Island, after a brief stop near the country's maritime border, TankerTrackers said, after identifying the vessels via satellite images. A source with knowledge of the departure documents told Reuters that at least four supertankers had received permission from Venezuelan authorities to depart in dark mode. It was not immediately clear whether the departures were a violation of the US blockade. Although President Trump stated that the oil embargo was not lifted, he added that Venezuela's major customers, including China, will continue to receive oil.

Nicolas Maduro will be represented in his first court appearance by a public defender. This is reported by the American media. According to experts, the judge will give the former leader of Venezuela the necessary time - between 30 and 45 days - to find his own lawyer for the trial.

"Mexico firmly believes that America does not belong to a doctrine or a power. The American continent belongs to the people of each of the countries that compose it'. This was stated by the President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum, at a press conference, reiterating that the history of Latin America "is clear and convincing" in claiming that "military intervention has never brought democracy, has never generated prosperity or lasting stability".

Donald Trump until only six months ago wanted to reach an agreement with Nicolas Maduro. During a meeting in the Oval Office last July, the president had told his aides that he wanted an arrangement that would allow American companies to pump Venezuelan oil, showing that he favoured the path of diplomacy. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio - reports the Wall Street Journal - was against it and warned Trump against trusting the former leader of Venezuela. After months of trying to persuade Maduro to leave in exchange for an amnesty for his crimes, Trump opted for military action at the end of December. Trump's obsession with Venezuela's crude oil has sparked an underground struggle between his advisors and the crude oil lobby to define White House policy towards Venezuela. Trump, highlights the Wall Street Journal, made it clear to his advisors that he was interested in a deal with Caracas that served his America First agenda, including cooperation on migrant expulsions, rather than promoting a democratic transition.

The US State Department's Persian-language account yesterday posted a photo of President Donald Trump with the caption 'Don't mess with President Trump', written in red Farsi. The Jerusalem Post reports. The post shows a photo of Trump next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with other officials standing behind them, and contained a further warning: 'President Trump is a man of action. If you didn't know, now you know." On Saturday, the same post had been published on the State Department's English-language account.

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's ''blatant arrogance'', even in refusing numerous offers of exile or dancing in public, convinced the White House that he would not spontaneously relinquish power and that it would therefore be necessary to intervene militarily. Nbc News writes this, citing a senior White House official on condition of anonymity, according to whom Trump's team felt they were being played by Maduro, who was trying to call Maduro's bluff. "The United States has now been put in a position of maximum influence'' and ''we will continue to make demands of the Venezuelan government that are in line with the interests of both the American people and the Venezuelan people,'' the source added.

The hearing against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores is scheduled to begin at 6pm Italian time, with the full list of charges against them being read out. The two are accused of having, for over 25 years, 'abused their position of public trust and corrupted once legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States'. The indictment alleges that Maduro and his allies 'provided cover and law enforcement logistical support' to major drug trafficking groups, such as the Sinaloa cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang. According to the US Justice Department, these criminal organisations sent profits to high officials, who protected them in return. Among other specific acts, Maduro is accused of selling Venezuelan diplomatic passports to known drug traffickers and facilitating undercover diplomatic flights to bring drug proceeds from Mexico back to Venezuela.

Il presidente venezuelano Nicolas Maduro, catturato, arriva all'eliporto di Downtown Manhattan, mentre si dirige verso il Palazzo di Giustizia degli Stati Uniti Daniel Patrick Manhattan per una prima apparizione per affrontare le accuse federali degli Stati Uniti, tra cui narco-terrorismo, cospirazione, traffico di droga, riciclaggio di denaro e altre, a New York City, Stati Uniti, 5 gennaio 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

"This is a disturbing and dramatic situation. This is not a matter of humanitarian interest on the part of the United States, we are faced with acts that go beyond all international law, all political and humanitarian law. All that is at stake here is colossal economic interests. This applied to Venezuela, and it applies to Iran, as it does to Cuba'. The Iranian pianist Ramin Bahrami, who has been a refugee in Italy for years and is one of the greatest contemporary interpreters of Bach, is 'indignant', commenting on the latest news about his country, which for days has been at the centre of bloody protests against the high cost of living, and is now in the crosshairs of Donald Trump, who has threatened to strike Iran 'hard' if more protesters are killed. According to the Lebanese newspaper 'Al-Akhbar', the US president has reportedly reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack the 'country of the Ayatollahs' if it does not completely stop its nuclear programme. 'I am outraged,' reiterates the Master. 'Here we are faced with wars of economic conquest, wiping out all rights. No one wants to save anyone. They only want to save their own pockets'.

"After all," he emphasises, "the American president has made it clear that he is only interested in Venezuela's money and oil, and the same goes for Iran, which is the world's fifth-largest oil producer and one of the world's main gas exporters. "This is my position, which I believe is the same as that of all those who love peace and tranquillity." Bahrami then invites us to reflect on how 'in these times, if we do not want to lose ourselves completely, we need culture with a capital C'. And he launches an appeal: 'As a man of culture, I ask that all the intellectuals of the world get together and cry out for a return to common sense. Because such a thing is not possible'. And he says he is astonished that 'many personalities from the world of international music', whom he greatly esteems, 'have not taken any position. This is very serious,' he regrets. 'It is no longer the time to wait,' he warns. We must unanimously condemn these violent and barbaric acts, because we are returning to the law of the strongest. And this is not good. We are in 2026 and not in the stone age'.

Nicolas Maduro left the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to be taken in armoured cars to court, where he is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court later today.

"The next steps are about dialogue towards a democratic transition, which must include Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado". This was stated by European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho during the daily press briefing, responding to a question on what the EU's focus will be in Venezuela after the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro. The two Venezuelan opposition leaders 'fought tirelessly for democracy' and in 2024 'led the Venezuelan people to peacefully exercise their right to vote', and were supported by 'a significant majority' of Venezuelans, the spokeswoman emphasised.

"The EU will continue to uphold the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders, as well as the UN Charter. These are universal principles and we will not stop defending them, all the more so if the territorial integrity of an EU member state is called into question". This was stated by European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper during the daily press briefing on US President Donald Trump's comments regarding the annexation of Danish territory. "Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and any change to the status is solely up to the Greenlanders and the Danes," Hipper reiterates.

The 'method used' by the US to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro 'was neither supported nor approved' by France. This was reported by French President Emmanuel Macron during the Council of Ministers meeting. The Elysée chief also stated that Maduro is 'a dictator' and that his resignation is 'good news for Venezuelans'.

Alvin Hellerstein, the 92-year-old Orthodox Jewish judge appointed by Bill Clinton almost 30 years ago to his post in federal court, will preside over the trial of Nicolás Maduro. The Nyt reports this, pointing out that the prosecutors of the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District, led by Jay Clayton, will be in charge of the case The case is being handled by assistant US attorneys assigned to the office's National Security and International Narcotics Unit. It is not yet clear, reports the US media, who will represent Mr Maduro and his wife Cilia. Judge Hellerstein , born in New York in 1933, was a lawyer in the US Army, has practised law in the private sector and, in May 1998, was appointed federal judge for the Southern District of New York by then-President Bill Clinton. He is one of the longest serving judges, El Pais points out.

It is expected that the case against Maduro will be tried in the Southern District Court in New York, although it is not entirely certain, as the US president has left open the possibility that it will be transferred to Florida. If the New York venue is confirmed, the trial will take place at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, which houses the Southern District Court, a court that has hosted high-profile cases against drug traffickers, members of organised crime and media personalities. Among them - the Spanish media also recalls - the case of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug trafficking, although he was recently pardoned by Trump.

US President Donald Trump is considering reopening the US embassy in Venezuela, the EFE news agency reported, without providing further details.

"The government has worked from day one for his release and continues to work. Any more words can only harm the speedy resolution of the case": this was said by the Undersecretary to the Prime Minister, Alfredo Mantovano, speaking of the Italian cooperator Alberto Trentini, detained for over a year in Venezuela, on the sidelines of the press conference on the Jubilee budget.

The US will not use the 'Chinese threat' to annex Greenland. This was made clear today by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman in response to US President Donald Trump's statements that Russian and Chinese ships would operate around the island under Danish sovereignty, necessitating direct US control. "We urge the US side to stop using the so-called 'Chinese threat' as a pretext to take advantage of itself," spokesman Lin Jian pointed out in response to a question on Trump's statements regarding Greenland.

Further reading

Trump: 'The US needs Greenland for defence reasons'. And warns Rodríguez: 'Do the right things or you will pay'

04 January 2026

"All the Venezuelan, Colombian and Latin American people must take to the streets. National sovereignty is popular sovereignty'. This is how on X the Colombian president Gustavo Petro responds to Donald Trump's threats. Gustavo Petro, in a series of online posts over the last few hours, said he would 'check if Trump's words in English translate as the national press says'. Petro added that he would 'respond to them once he understands what Trump's illegitimate threat really means'.

Un manifestante tiene in mano una foto del presidente venezuelano Nicolás Maduro durante una marcia organizzata dai sostenitori del Chavismo a Caracas, in Venezuela, il 4 gennaio 2026. Centinaia di sostenitori del Chavismo si sono mobilitati per chiedere al presidente degli Stati Uniti Donald Trump di rilasciare Nicolás Maduro e sua moglie, la deputata Cilia Flores, catturati dall'esercito statunitense in una serie di attacchi a Caracas e in tre Stati vicini. EPA/RONALD PENA R

Accusations are mounting in the United Kingdom, on the day of the resumption of parliamentary activities after the Christmas and New Year's break, against the 'double standard' imputed to Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer in connection with the failure to condemn the US military blitz in Venezuela. On the opposition side are both Zack Polanski's Greens (radical left) and Ed Davey's centrist Liberal Democrats. But also several MPs from the more progressive wing of Labour itself: all agree in urging a clear distance from the great American ally and a denunciation of the 'violation of international law' carried out by Washington in the South American country. The reference to the risk of a "double standard" with respect to the attitude towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine - which has already emerged in reference to Israel's reprisal in the Palestinian Gaza Strip - is not new from critical voices in London. And it reappears in these hours after Starmer, having filed his initial reaction of caution to the US military action in Caracas, clarified in a second statement that he had no intention of "shedding any tears" over the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, branded as an "illegitimate" leader, once again avoiding any explicit break from Trump.

"That's enough now. No more pressure. No more fantasies about annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to conversations. But it must be through the right channels and in accordance with international law. And the right channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media'. This is what Greenland's premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen writes in a Facebook post, following US President Donald Trump's repeated threats that he wants to annex the region, now under the government of Denmark. "We have been close and loyal friends of the United States for generations. We have stood shoulder to shoulder in difficult times. We have taken responsibility for the security of the North Atlantic and not least North America. That is what true friends do.

This is precisely why the US's immediate and repeated rhetoric is absolutely and utterly unacceptable,' reads Nielsen's post, 'when the US president talks about 'we need Greenland' and links us with Venezuela and military intervention, it is not only wrong. This is disrespectful. Our country is not the subject of superpower rhetoric. We are a people. A land. And democracy. This must be respected. Especially by dear and loyal friends". "We are part of NATO and are fully aware of our country's strategic position. And we realise that our security depends on good friends and strong alliances. In this regard, a respectful and loyal relationship with the United States is very important. This has been the case for decades,' the Greenland Prime Minister continued, 'but alliances are based on trust. And trust requires respect. Threats, pressure and talk of annexation do not belong to friends. That is no way to speak to a people that has repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and loyalty. Greenland is our home and our territory. And so it will continue to be'.

"The situation in Venezuela must be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, through dialogue, negotiation and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people in all its expressions, without external interference and in accordance with international law". This is the message posted on X by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez . The socialist leader recalls that 'the Government of Spain, together with the Governments of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay and Mexico, have expressed in a joint communiqué their concern about the events in Venezuela'. In the note, the six countries rejected 'the military actions carried out unilaterally in the territory of Venezuela', which 'contravene fundamental principles of international law, in particular the prohibition of the use and threat of force and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States'.

On the case of Alberto Trentini "until last night I spoke with our ambassador in Caracas, we are working and we are trying the possible and the impossible, we hope that with Rodriguez the dialogue will be easier to bring home a person who has done nothing wrong". This was said by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, host of Rtl 102.5.

Europe must 'take its position' on US President Donald Trump's claims regarding the possible annexation of Greenland, guaranteeing 'the independence of a territory that is part of the Danish crown'. This was said today by Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani, interviewed on RTL 102.5's Non stop news. Trump has reiterated on several occasions in recent hours that the US believes it is necessary to take control of Greenland, in light of the fact that Russian and Chinese ships operate around the island, and argued aboard Air Force One that the EU also has an interest in Greenland passing to the US.

"We believe that military interventions are not suitable for resolving issues but the US intervention in Venezuela is legitimate given the threat they saw, and this will emerge in the trial of Maduro given also the super-witness of the Venezuelan services". This was said by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani interviewed by RTL 102.5. 'Drug trafficking,' he further said, 'is also an instrument to attack other countries. From this point of view, to protect one's own security, intervention is legitimate. Now let us work for a democratic transition, for the rule of law. There have been few in recent years who have denounced Maduro's dictatorship. We have always done so. Others have underestimated the Maduro regime, today Venezuela is freer'.

no country'' should act ''as world police'' or ''self-appointed international judge''. This is how Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticised the US operation in Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. ''The sovereignty and security of all countries must be protected by international law,'' he added. ''China always opposes the use of threats or force in domestic relations and rejects the imposition of one country's will on others,'' Wang said during a meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar.

Venezuela's deposed president Nicolás Maduro is set to appear in a US court for the first time today on charges of narcoterrorism. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are scheduled to appear at noon local time, 6 p.m. in Italy, before a judge for a brief legal proceeding that is likely to kick off a lengthy legal battle over whether he can be tried in the United States. The couple will be transferred from a Brooklyn jail to a Manhattan court. As a defendant in the US court system, Maduro will have the same rights as any other person accused of a crime, including the right to a trial by jury of New York citizens. His lawyers should challenge the legality of his arrest, arguing that he enjoys immunity from prosecution as head of a sovereign state.

China has pledged that its "interests" in Venezuela "will be protected by law" with regard to the robust export of oil from the Caribbean country to the Dragon after the US military raid that led to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. In the daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian reiterated Beijing's opposition "to the use of force in international relations" by the US, which at present risks undermining peace in Latin America. Lin also expressed China's full support for today's UN Security Council meeting on Venezuela.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has addressed his country's armed forces in harsh tones, warning them of de facto temptations to remove him from power. In a message published on X, Petro stated that 'any commander of the public force who prefers the flag of the United States to that of Colombia must immediately withdraw from the institution'. The warning comes after US President Donald Trump's repeated statements against Petro himself, accused of involvement in drug trafficking. Trump said he did not rule out an intervention similar to Saturday's in Venezuela. The Colombian head of state emphasises in his post that the Constitution imposes a duty on the armed forces to defend popular sovereignty, and stresses the centrality of national independence and loyalty to Colombian institutions.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday called on US President Donald Trump to stop threatening a takeover of Greenland, after the US leader reiterated that the US intends to take the island. "It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take control of Greenland. The United States has no right to annex any of the three countries that make up the Kingdom of Denmark,' Frederiksen said in a statement. She then made a direct appeal to Washington: 'I strongly urge the United States to stop its threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have made it very clear that they are not for sale.

''I am not an illegitimate president, nor a drug trafficker''. This is how Colombian President Gustavo Petro addressed his American counterpart Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 'X', asking them to ''stop slandering me, my name does not appear in any drug trafficking case''. In a lengthy post Petro also recalled when he did, as ''supreme commander of the armed forces'' to combat drug trafficking, ''I ordered the largest cocaine seizure in world history''. Petro also said he had ''enormous trust in my people and that is why I asked the people to defend the president from any illegitimate violent acts against him''. Trump accused Petro of having 'cocaine factories and plants, and he won't be doing that for a long time'.

''We have control of Venezuela'' and the United States needs ''total access to the country's oil and other resources in order to rebuild it''. This was stated by US President Donald Trump speaking to reporters on board Air Force One. Trump went on to say that he had not yet spoken with Acting President Delcy Rodriguez and that he thought it was premature to talk about elections, first Venezuela must be stabilised.

Cuba 'is collapsing'. This was said by US President Donald Trump speaking from Air Force On returning to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago residence. "It's definitely collapsing," he added in reference to the situation in Venezuela. Trump said that the Cuban economy, hit by years of US embargo, is in tatters and will continue to worsen with the ouster of Maduro, who was supplying subsidised oil to the Caribbean island.

''Colombia is ruled by a sick man who likes to produce cocaine, but not for much longer'' because a ''US mission similar to the Venezuelan one'' is possible in the country. US President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One. In addition to Colombia, among the countries threatened by Trump is ''Mexico has to get its act together, we have to do something'', although its president Claudia Sheinbaum is ''a great person, I offer her every day to send troops. As for Cuba ''it's ready to fall'' on its own, ''I don't think it's necessary to act'' there, Trump added, asserting that the Cubans ''will now have no more money coming in'' from Venezuela. Finally, Iran will be ''hit very hard'' by the United States if more protesters who are participating in street protests against the Tehran government and the caravan are killed. "We are monitoring the situation very closely. If they start killing people as they have done in the past, I think they will be hit very hard by the United States," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump, while returning to Washington on Sunday evening, also warned Venezuela's neighbour, Colombia, and its leftist president, Gustavo Petro. Trump, in a back-and-forth with reporters on Air Force One, claimed that Colombia is 'ruled by a sick man who likes to produce cocaine and sell it to the United States'. "He won't do that for long," Trump said on Sunday about Petro. "He has factories and cocaine factories. He's not going to do that." Asked if he would order the US to conduct an operation against Colombia, Trump said, "That sounds like a good idea to me." The Trump administration imposed sanctions in October on Petro, his family and a member of his government over allegations of involvement in global drug trafficking. Colombia is considered the epicentre of the global cocaine trade.

Acting Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez called on US President Donald Trump 'to cooperate' and said he wanted to establish 'respectful relations' in a recently conciliatory message released Sunday evening.

After delivering fiercely challenging speeches to the Trump administration this weekend, Rodríguez's statement in English on his Instagram account marked a drastic change of tone. "We call on the US government to work with us on a shared development-oriented cooperation programme within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence," he wrote. Her message comes shortly after Trump had threatened her with 'paying a very high price' if she did not comply with US demands.

Further reading

Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's 'tiger' at the head of Venezuela

04 January 2026

"Something has to be done with Mexico. Mexico needs to get a move on' and better fight drug trafficking. This was said by US President Donald Trump speaking from Air Force On returning to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago residence. Trump said he has repeatedly offered US troops to Mexico, but that country's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is 'concerned, a little afraid'. Asked about the US military presence in Cuba, however, Trump replied: 'I think it's just going to fall'. "I don't think we need any action," the president said.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly reached an agreement to strike Iran during their meeting in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The Lebanese daily 'Al-Akhbar', affiliated with Hezbollah, writes this, claiming that the authorities in Beirut received this information from international sources. The newspaper points out that the agreement between Trump and Netanyahu foresees an attack on Iran if it does not completely stop its nuclear programme and end its support for its allies in the region. The article also states that Saudi Arabia is reportedly trying to mediate with Tehran to reach an agreement. Indeed, there is a fear on the part of Riyadh that the chaos in Iran could spread to the entire region.

US President Donald Trump called Venezuela a 'dead country', stating that it is up to Washington to bring it back to life. 'Venezuela right now is a dead country. We have to bring it back to life,' Trump said while speaking to the press, returning to comment on the situation in the South American country following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by US forces in a raid.

The US military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said in the first official acknowledgement of the blitz victims. According to a statement read Sunday evening on Cuban state television, the Cuban military and police officers were carrying out a mission requested by the Venezuelan government. It is unclear what the Cubans were working on in the South American nation, but Cuba is a close ally of the Venezuelan government and has been sending military and police forces to assist in operations for years. "You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday," US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew Sunday night from Florida to Washington. "There were a lot of casualties."

"We need Greenland" for the security of the United States, US President Donald Trump reiterated to reporters on Air Force One. "We need Greenland from a national security perspective, and Denmark will not be able to take care of it," Trump replied to reporters.

"Right now we are thinking more about 'fixing' Venezuela than elections, elections will be held when the time is right," US President Donald Trump said, speaking to reporters on board Air Force One. "We are dealing with the people who have just come into office," he added.

(The United States needs total access to oil and other resources in Venezuela, US President Donald Trump said. "We need Greenland from a national security perspective, and Denmark will not be able to take care of it," Trump replied to reporters.