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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy weighed in Saturday on the US arrest of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, telling reporters that Washington “knows what to do next.”
Zelenskyy was speaking to reporters in Kyiv after meeting with national security advisers from member countries of the Coalition of the Willing when he was asked about the surprise operation of the American military that took place in the morning in Caracas.
“What about Venezuela? How should we respond to this?” Zelenskyy asked in Ukrainian. “Well, what I can say is, if you can do that with a dictator, then the United States knows what to do next,” he said with a smile.
The US military took Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to their compound, where they boarded the USS Iwo Jima and headed to New York to face charges.
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State workers stand watch outside the Metropolitan Detention Center as they await the arrival of exiled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, New York. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the abduction of Maduro and his wife, urging the Trump administration to release “the legitimately elected president of an independent country and his spouse.”
In a superseding indictment issued Saturday by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Maduro is charged with leading a terrorist conspiracy related to the trafficking of cocaine into the United States, as well as charges related to the importation of drugs and weapons.
Flores was similarly charged with being involved in a decades-long cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and firearms-related crimes.
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The charges build on previous charges from 2020.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro shakes hands with his wife Cilia Flores as they leave the Capitolio, home of the National Assembly, after being sworn in during the presidential inauguration ceremony in Caracas on Jan. 10, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Dan Caine said the operation, called “Operation Absolute Resolve,” involved more than 150 aircraft and a joint effort by the US military, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement to catch the two.
“This operation is a testament to the dedication and unwavering commitment to justice and our resolve to respond to those who threaten peace and stability,” he said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference with President Donald Trump and other Cabinet officials.
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Trump told reporters that he had never spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Maduro.
“I’m not happy with Putin. He kills too many people,” said the president when asked if he was upset with the Russian leader.
President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, Palm Beach, Fla. (Alex Brandon/AP)
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Moscow has continued to hit Kyiv with heavy drone and missile attacks as the Trump administration works to secure a potential peace deal to end the nearly four-year war.
“Russia has not shown a real determination to pursue peace. Instead, it continues its war of aggression, violence, and degradation, using negotiations as a tactic to buy time,” Zelenskyy said during the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, according to a statement from his office. “It uses provocation and deception to block progress in the peace process,”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
