U.S. Detains Maduro in New York, Threatens Interim Leader and Pledges to Steer Venezuela’s Transition

Overview

• Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro is being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center on U.S. narcotics and terrorism charges, with an initial court appearance expected Monday.
• Venezuela’s Supreme Court installed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim leader and the armed forces recognized her, even as she rejected U.S. actions and demanded Maduro’s release.
• President Donald Trump says the United States will manage a remote transition and push U.S. oil companies back into Venezuela, warning Rodríguez she will “pay a very high price” if she does not cooperate.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio said discussion of elections is premature and indicated Washington could work with the current leadership if it makes “the right decisions,” as reports say a detailed U.S. post‑Maduro plan is still being developed.
• The U.N. Security Council will convene Monday on the operation, with Russia, China, Iran and Cuba condemning the U.S. incursion and regional left‑leaning governments voicing objections, while a U.S. naval force remains positioned in the Caribbean and global protests reflect sharp divisions.