Venezuela's interim government says it is united behind Maduro after his U.S. capture

Source: Reuters

January 4, 2026 4:19 PM EST Updated 4 hours ago


Jan 4 (Reuters) - A top Venezuelan official declared on Sunday that the country's government would stay unified behind President Nicolas Maduro, whose capture by the United States has sparked deep uncertainty about what is next for the oil-rich South American nation.

Maduro is in a New York detention center awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges. U.S. President Donald Trump, who went golfing on Sunday, ordered his seizure from Venezuela on Saturday and said the U.S. would take control of the country. But in Caracas, top officials in Maduro's government, who have called the detentions of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores a kidnapping, were still in charge.

"Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemy’s provocations," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in an audio recording released by the ruling PSUV socialist party. Images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed on Saturday stunned Venezuelans. The operation was Washington's most controversial intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.

Without providing specifics, Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino said on state television the U.S. attack killed soldiers, civilians and a "large part" of Maduro's security detail "in cold blood." Venezuela’s armed forces have been activated to guarantee sovereignty, he said.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/venezuelas-maduro-custody-trump-says-us-will-run-country-2026-01-04/