US ‘running’ Venezuela now seems less likely but second intervention possible | Venezuela

The prospect of direct U.S. control of Venezuela appeared to diminish Sunday following the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro, though U.S. officials stated Washington is maintaining a 15,000-strong force in the Caribbean and may intervene militarily again if Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, does not meet U.S. demands.

Maduro’s Capture and U.S. Military Presence

While Rodríguez maintained a defiant public stance, the details of her private conversations with U.S. officials remain unclear. Following Maduro’s capture Saturday, Donald Trump stated the U.S. would “run” the South American country of 30 million people. On Sunday, he warned Rodríguez to comply with U.S. wishes. “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” he told the Atlantic.

Rodríguez, 56, pledged loyalty to Maduro and condemned his capture as an “atrocity” Saturday. However, the New York Times reported Trump officials identified her weeks prior as a potential successor and business partner, based partly on her relationships with Wall Street and oil companies.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Rodríguez, who reportedly told him “‘we’ll do whatever you need’”, according to Trump. He added, “She, I think, was quite gracious, but she really doesn’t have a choice.”

Reactions and Support for Rodríguez

In Caracas, government and military figures demanded Maduro’s return but pledged support for Rodríguez as a stand-in leader and called for a return to normality. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez urged Venezuelans to resume their activities, including economic, work, and education.

Trump also suggested potential U.S. intervention in other countries, stating, “We do need Greenland, absolutely.” Katie Miller, wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted a social media image of Greenland painted in the colors of the U.S. flag with the word “soon,” prompting a protest from Greenland’s prime minister.

Rubio downplayed the possibility of an invasion or occupation of Venezuela, stating, “There’s not a war. I mean, we are at war against drug trafficking organisations, not a war against Venezuela. We don’t have US forces on the ground.” He described the two-hour presence of troops in Caracas as a “law enforcement function” not requiring congressional approval, and stated, “This was not an invasion. This was not an extended military operation.”

The U.S. will maintain a “quarantine” around Venezuela to block oil tanker traffic under American sanctions, sustaining “leverage” over Maduro’s successor, Rubio said. He added that the U.S. has “multiple levers of influence” to respond if Venezuelan leaders do not make the “right” decisions.

International Response and Concerns

Senator Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate intelligence committee, also tempered Trump’s vow to run Venezuela, stating there were “still a lot of questions to be answered” about what happens next.

The governments of Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay issued a joint statement that U.S. actions “constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and endanger the civilian population.” Keir Starmer stated Britain was not involved in the attack but refused to condemn it.

All EU countries except Hungary issued a statement calling for restraint by “all actors” and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people to “restore democracy”.

Life in Caracas and Future Uncertainty

In Caracas, some shops and cafes reopened, and authorities assessed the damage from Saturday’s raid. Large queues formed outside stores as residents stocked up on supplies, apprehensive about the future and the possibility of further attacks.

In neighboring Colombia, President Gustavo Petro ordered 30,000 troops to the eastern border with Venezuela in case of violence or a refugee influx.

Padrino López stated that a “large part” of Maduro’s security team, as well as soldiers and civilians, died, estimating the number killed at 40. He affirmed the armed forces will resist “imperial aggression” and ensure independence and sovereignty despite Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores’s, “cowardly kidnapping.”

Authorities shared footage of Maduro handcuffed during a “perp walk” to Drug Enforcement Administration offices in New York before being taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

An indictment was unsealed charging Maduro with narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, also charging Flores, their son, two Venezuelan officials, and an alleged leader of Tren de Aragua, a gang the Trump administration has designated a terrorist organization. Maduro is scheduled to appear in a Manhattan federal court Monday for arraignment.

The Trump administration’s apparent satisfaction with a regime tweak, rather than regime change, has disappointed Venezuelans who hoped Maduro’s downfall would bring democracy.

Trump dismissed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who mobilized Edmundo González’s winning presidential campaign last year, saying she lacked “support” in Venezuela.

Rubio stated the U.S. wants a transition to democracy but ruled out elections in the short term, saying those in charge of Venezuela’s military and police apparatus must decide their course. “We hope they will chose a different direction than the one Nicolás Maduro picked. Ultimately we hope this leads to a holistic transition.”

In Caracas, joggers and cyclists reappeared on streets, but residents expressed nervousness and uncertainty about the future.