Overview
- President Donald Trump said Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores were seized in a U.S. operation and are being transported toward New York on the USS Iwo Jima to face narcoterrorism charges, with Pentagon operational details still unclear.
- Emmanuel Macron welcomed the end of Maduro’s rule and urged a peaceful handover led by opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia, after speaking with María Corina Machado and backing her call to free political prisoners.
- Reactions split across the region and beyond, with Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile’s president-elect expressing support, while Brazil’s Lula da Silva, Chile’s Gabriel Boric, Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, and Venezuela’s allies Russia and Cuba condemned the U.S. action.
- Argentina’s government formally backed Washington’s move and announced new migration restrictions on Venezuelan officials and regime-linked individuals, as President Javier Milei and opposition leader Mauricio Macri celebrated the capture.
- Argentine officials reiterated concern for gendarme Nahuel Gallo, detained in Venezuela since December 2024, saying efforts to secure his return remain a priority.