Overview
- President Donald Trump said U.S. forces carried out a large-scale operation in Venezuela, claimed Nicolás Maduro and his wife were detained and removed, and later announced the United States will oversee a temporary transition with no American casualties reported.
- Explosions and power outages were reported across Caracas near military sites, while Venezuela’s defense minister announced nationwide deployments and emergency measures without confirming Maduro’s status.
- Venezuela requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting, Russia, Belarus, Iran and Cuba condemned the U.S. action, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged restraint, and Spain offered to facilitate diplomacy as the Netherlands and Poland monitored regional security.
- Ukraine’s General Staff reported 116 combat engagements on January 2 and 104 more so far today, with intense fighting around Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka and Huliaipole, while a Russian Iskander strike in Kharkiv killed a woman and a 3‑year‑old boy and injured dozens.
- Security advisers from 15 allied countries along with NATO and EU officials convened in Kyiv to coordinate guarantees ahead of Paris talks, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed potential multinational forces in Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelensky following a ceasefire.