The US attacked Venezuela and captured its long-serving president Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, with Donald Trump promising to put the country under American control for now, even as Venezuelan officials vowed defiance. With Maduro in US custody, “we will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition”, Trump said. Trump says US will ‘run’ Venezuela Donald Trump has vowed the US is “going to run” Venezuela until there is an orderly transition of power but provided few details after ousting the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, in an audacious military attack. France, Russia, China and the European Commission were among those who said Donald Trump had broken international rules after US troops carried out the operation on Saturday morning. Read the full story Explainer: Is there legal justification for US’s Venezuela attack?

Source: The Guardian January 04, 2026 08:58 UTC