‘President Trump sets the terms’ on what comes next; Maduro in custody, new video emerges

VENEZUELA'S President Nicolas Maduro arrived in New York after he was "captured" early on Saturday morning in an operation by US forces. US President Donald Trump had confirmed a “large-scale strike against Venezuela” on Saturday.

A video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X showed Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City.

Who will rule Venezuela now?

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been declared Maduro's apparent successor. In an address on state television, Rodríguez said Maduro is the country's only president, as she called for his release from US custody.

This comes even as US President Donald Trump said, "We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."

During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump was quoted by Reuters as saying that as part of the takeover, major US oil companies would move into Venezuela, which has the world's largest oil reserves, and refurbish badly degraded oil infrastructure, a process experts said could take years.

A video posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X showed Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City.

In an interview with CBS News on Saturday night, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth praised the troops involved in the mission to capture Maduro. He said, “President Trump sets the terms” on what comes next in Venezuela.

"It means we set the terms. President Trump sets the terms. And ultimately, he'll decide what the iterations are of that," Hegseth the defence secretary was quoted as saying.

"But, it means the drugs stop flowing, it means the oil that was taken from us is returned, ultimately, and that criminals are not sent to the United States," he said.

US issues travel advisory

In a travel advisory issued on Sunday, the US urged Americans to “enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrolment Program to receive security updates.” It said the security situation in Venezuela remains fluid.

“Venezuela has the highest Travel Advisory level – Level 4: Do Not Travel – due to severe risks to Americans. US citizens in Venezuela should take precautions and be aware of their surroundings,” the advisory read.

“No commercial flights are currently operating in or out of Venezuela. US citizens in Venezuela should establish multiple methods of communication with friends and family outside of Venezuela. In March 2019, the U.S. Department of State withdrew all diplomatic personnel from the US Embassy Caracas and suspended operations. All consular services, routine and emergency, remain suspended. The US government continues to be unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela,” it added.

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