US President Donald Trump has claimed that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured and removed from the country following what he described as a large-scale US military operation overnight.
In a statement published early on 3 January, Trump said the United States had “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela” and that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been “captured and flown out of the Country.” He said the operation was conducted in conjunction with US law enforcement and added that further details would be provided at a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. at Mar-a-Lago.
The announcement follows hours of reported explosions and strikes across northern Venezuela, including multiple locations in and around Caracas. Military bases, airfields, communications infrastructure and the port of La Guaira were among the sites reported hit during the early-morning operation. Verified footage from the capital shows a military helicopter engaging ground targets, while additional imagery shows large fires burning at the main port.
As of publication, there has been no official confirmation from the Department of War or other US government agencies publicly corroborating Trump’s claim that Maduro has been detained. Venezuelan state media has not acknowledged the statement, and Maduro’s whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
Earlier, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice closing Venezuelan airspace to US aircraft citing ongoing military activity. The US Embassy in Caracas issued a shelter-in-place advisory, while Venezuela declared a national state of emergency and denounced the strikes as an act of aggression.
This is a developing story and will be updated as further information emerges.
Does Trump want to blow Maduro too?
Wow just wow, the only real difference between the US doing this and Russia in Ukraine is that the US had the means and ability to actually undertake a beheading strike…
Sadly we have entered the World of power and little else now. Pandora’s box opened and whose owns where it will end. Difficult to claim the high ground any longer and I don’t envy the Govt here or elsewhere in what’s left of the civilised World having to determine how to react to it. Geez even Farage is shitting kittens trying to find a response that won’t bury him, that’s what happens when ally with a desperate fantasist who most ofthe voters you want to attract hate.
They’ve amnesia in the White House. Regime change has never worked to plan. Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, S. America, it always went wrong. Meanwhile, watching this is Xi, Putin and others, all planning their own land grabs. This has only served to make the world more dangerous as there will be severe consequences following this. Only an idiot starts a war without a clear objective..
Whilst maduro isn’t the bastion of niceness, it’s concerning that the US has basically replaced him because he wasn’t aligned with their interests. Are we reverting to cold war cia tactics that have ultimately caused most of the mess in the middle east and Africa.
1953 Iran all over again. Which as you rightly pointed out didn’t end well for Iran or the rest of the Middle East.
Spot on Paul this has decades long consequences that future Presidents will struggle to contain. Suddenly all the once laughable anti American rhetoric from unsavoury regimes is becoming understatement. Will he be claiming Greenland is exporting homegrown heroin to the US now, it seems truth no longer means anything the excuses coming out could make anyone a target eventually.
That’s it, America officially as bad as Russia. And this guy wanted The Nobel Peace Prize?
The guy will get the peace prize, that is inevitable. He will put a whole load of pressure on the committee to make sure he does.
Perhaps it could be a joint one with Putin? After all, they’ve now both invaded a sovereign country – Trump just seems to have been better at it than Russia as far as taking out the leader.
Also better at it politically. I havent seen any stories for world leaders condemning the action.
I suspect the US have given the nod to china to continue its plans for twaiwan. As any criticism will just be pushed back at them.
tbf it’s a bit early to tell how successful Trump will be in this. Putins invasion appeared on track for victory for a week or so. Less than 24 hours is hardly any measure of success. I’m all for arresting criminal leaders, so I hope Trump will be turning himself in & the USA go after the CCP, Putin(rather than giving him hospitality), Myamars government, as well as all the drug-trafficking S American leaders who Trump counts as his mates, etc.
I fear all we will see is a load of regional wars & land grabs by many who see the law-based internatinal order succumb to might-is-right adventurism.-Cue Xi trying to take Taiwan.
It’s done, the US doesn’t have to take any further action. Who ever replaces Maduro will be terrified of them being next and so will just become a US puppet state.
Russian had different intentionsn, they wanted to capture the land rather than just change Ukraine into a vessel state.
They wanted the land to turn them into a vassal state you can do it the hard way ie Ukraine or the easy way ie Belarus which is more the US solution for Venezuela. Might work for a while but wouldn’t bet on it doing so longer term when they are desperate to keep boots off of the ground. In the end it depends on what the people will tolerate and a US puppet Govt syphoning off the oil for its Masters abroad is unlikely to remain stable as the Shah and various others discovered. What is ensured either way is just the next dose of corruption.
Only has to work for 3 years, after that trump doesn’t care and from there will blame his successor. Even if it doesn’t last the weekend, he will still spin it as a success, as facts/reality don’t mean much to him.
He tried that before.
He has a chance if he creates peace.
He will threaten to invade it no doubt. If they have any modicum of morality they will disband the committee and prize rather than surrender to such threats. It would have no greater value than the FIFA one thereafter if they didn’t.
How is Venezuela the same as Ukraine? One is led by a democratically elected leader and the other one is Venezuela
It’s an illegal, unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation.
And I mean an actual invasion, not the superlative ‘invasion’ rhetoric so often used in the media.
People are literally celebrating on the streets of Caracas and pulling down maduro posters.
Take your moral outrage elsewhere
Not moral outrage. Trump has placed himself in a situation where he has kidnapped the head of state of a sovereign country. He has murdered their citizens. Add that to his threats against the likes of Greenland and the fact that he has lost ANY moral rights in international affairs… So is he now going to attack other countries? Cuba seems reasonable – sorry, don’t qualify, no oil. How about Saudi? Sorry, lots of oil but Trump’s friend. Should someone take out Trump I suspect a lot of Americans would be quite happy – goes both ways.
I’ll try not to lose sleep over the fall of a man who arrested and murdered his opponents just like his ally in Moscow.
You can go to hell frankly, people like you are the reason people like Maduro are allowed to exist in the first place.
Not saying Maduro was a ‘good guy’. But two wrongs don’t make a right – and Trump is about as wrong as he can be. He has attacked a sovereign country. He has murdered innocent citizens of that country. He has kidnapped the head of state of that country. For moral reasons? No, greed. He has already said that he wants Venezuelan oil… You are supporting evil by supporting this action.
I don’t know how moderation works on this site but the last sentence of Clunker’s reply has no place in a civilised debate.
It’s a typical MAGA reply seen all over the internet. Trump is right, anyone who disagrees are idiots who don’t deserve to live. Lies and insults, the MAGA way.
That’s childish playground debate rubbish. The guy who has just done this is an ally. Ow of the guy in Moscow, it all comes down to economic gain to cover the disasters at home, morality be it Putin or Trump has nothing to do with it. Who decides who is a dictator or worthy of being overthrown, many in the Trump Regime are claiming that we and most other States in Europe should be overthrown if we don’t simply become at best US client States. I think Trump is taking his cue from the Ottoman Empire invade and pillage resourses where you can and enforce your power indirectly on those not worth the effort through threat.
“Who says who is a dictator” Um, I would say the guy “won” a widely accepted rigged election in Venezuela in 2024 and then arrested anyone who called him out on it, qualifies as a dictator in my book.
Maybe you should grow up and get over your TDS long enough to realise that Maduro got off easy and wasn’t given the Mussolini treatment by his populace
Powerful countries have always extended boarders, its a part of human nature to prey on the weak, the UK bombed Libya, Syria and Iraq because they were weak, they would not try it North Korea which is a far worse country but has nuclear capacity.
True but the post war set up was supposed to change that even if plenty of hypocrisy remained. It resulted in the longest period of peace probably ever for all its faults. To revert to what came before will with modern weaponry be very possibly the end of civilisation or even humankind. Certainly we will be lucky to survive let alone thrive as the rest of the World becomes a scene from FallOut but I guess at least we have the consolation of the knowledge that that’s just the way of the World.
That’s a little odd – the social media videos I’ve seen have shown plenty of examples of people not being particularly happy that a foreign power has bombed their nation.
I would note that when Putin invaded Ukraine, similar videos of the public celebrating also surfaced. Do you think that perhaps people don’t operate as a homogenized mass?
Yes, Maduro was bad. So was this attack. Two things can be bad at the same time.
The fact is this is not about what is right it’s the US exercising its right to decide who governs any nation in the americas. As that, as the new US strategic security document states.. you can do what you like in your own country as long as you don’t do it in the western hemisphere ( US) if you live there you do as the US says ( or we know now what happens)… morality has nothing to do with. It’s power pure and simple.. and it’s set the background for a world to go to hell.
Disagreeing with a countries way of government isn’t justification for war, as probably half the countries in the world aren’t democracies. Would it be better if they were, probably but that’s not going to happen
This may freak out the Ayatollahs in Iran.
Freaks me out a little too.
I suspect Iran is already freaked out following Israel attacks, I doubt Israel are done with them.
It has always been a matter of time before some extreme republican got into power and the US attacked Iran. I think the failure that was Afghan/Iraq is the only thing that is stopping them, as taking out the government without replacing it would result in things being 10x worse.
Obviously, Trump believes in cutting out the bad bits of the apple, not putting it back in the bowl and hoping it ripens beautifully. A lesson for the sophisticated European leaders whose doctrine is to talk to the bad bits of the apple, then do precisely nothing but put out dire warnings!
Name one US overseas intervention that has resulted in a positive outcome, any will do?
The only two that come to mind are Grenada and Korea
Kosovo and Bosnia
WW1, WW2, Cold War, Korea, Grenada, Liberation of Kuwait.
Uncle Sam has been a great friend to Britain.
Ww1 and 2 were liberating allies not interfering in another nation. Same with Kuwait plus UN mandate and when they went further and attacked Iraq look where it ended.
Korea wasn’t a victory or a positive outcome as we have the mess we have with north / south. Although South Korea I guess you could count as a positive.
I give you Grenada, although was hardly clean, the following governments were corrupt and ended up realigning with cuba, which started the war in the first place.
My apologies. I made the mistake of thinking that we were answering the question ‘Name one US overseas intervention that has resulted in a positive outcome, any will do?’
Uncle Sam happily bankrupted us as it thrived on the benefits of WW2, it even threatened war with us between the wars when we were unable to make a loan payment. Some friend considering had we not stayed in the war while US companies supplied weapons to both sides and Ford and others actually obstructed support to Britain. Then the US would never have become the Superpower controlling World affairs the way it did, it would have been lucky to have survived as a power at all considering the control over the World Germany or Russia would have had, certainly unless we had granted the US all the technology to enable them to produce the military power they did, including the nuclear bomb of course. So maybe Uncle Sam should be a little more thankful to us for bankrupting ourselves fighting the war that they so benefitted from. Geez it was only British and French orders that kept much of the US aviation industry solvent before their entry to the war.
We failed to deter Germany so we can only blame ourselves.
We are making the same mistake again.
Deterrence is the only true victory.
Democracy: the least worst system of government.
Your your TDS and your blatant anti-Americanism is very tiresome.. get some help
D-Day? Berlin air lift?
Haiti (1994)
Haiti’s elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, had been ousted by a military coup three years earlier. The country was in chaos, with widespread repression and economic collapse. The US led a multinational intervention under the UN, first with threats of force and then by deploying troops to restore Aristide to power.
The operation succeeded quickly and relatively bloodlessly — the coup leaders stepped aside, the legitimate government was restored, and widespread violence didn’t break out.
You have checked up on Haiti since I assume. Probably not the best pick.
Yes, I have. In 2010 I was part of a High Readiness Team (HRT). Within hours of the earthquake, I was sitting in a Land Cruiser on the tarmac at Brize, awaiting airlift.
I’d say it’s one of the best examples. The intervention achieved exactly what it set out to do: restore the elected president, remove the coup leaders, and prevent large-scale violence. No foreign intervention — anywhere — magically fixes all of a country’s problems; structural issues like poverty, weak institutions, and political instability are a separate challenge.
From what I’ve read of your comments, you seem so anti-US that you’ve lost any real objectivity. Add in Trump Derangement Syndrome, and most of your posts come across as an online tantrum or mental breakdown.
So, good day to you, sir. I look forward to reading more of your tantrums — and remember: “NOT MY PRESIDENT.” 🇺🇸
Nope.. if that was it I would have some hope.. this is just the US making it clear that all of the Americas are essentially US satellites and they do as they are told or else.. he has already told Russia and China they can do as they please essentially.
So if I understand this correctly. China could say that Taiwan is a narco-drug state and legitimately remove President Lai Ching-te because he is the leader of said narco-drug state with no evidence? Please correctly me if you think I am misunderstanding the international rules based order.
That’s pretty much my viewpoint. Make up an excuse, invade, take out the people you don’t like. Or, in the case of the US, look at what you can get out of it, in this case I assume that the American oil companies will try to get oil denationalised. As a country, America is just one big hypocrite.
Yep
It’s always been the case. You either align with the US or you find yourself firstly subject to tarrifs, followed my military actions. They have always been the world’s bullys.
The issue for them is the counter side was they promised to their aligned nations that they would provided military support if needed. We now numerous examples that show that the support was never really there. The US is rapidly isolating themselves from the rest of the world.
It is still pissed off that its companies lost control of Venezuelan oil of course, but I’m sure that’s mere coincidence. Meanwhile the former narcotics terrorist of Honduras who took joy in poisoning the gringos is now a US Trump inspired Celebrity ally. Hey Ho alls well with the World.
Perhaps some here forget when Musk (part of the Govt at the time) called on Trump to invade Britain because apparently we aren’t democratic or respectful enough of US interests. Trump has a certain fondness for us, does anyone think a future MAGA or just far right US Regime would? Let’s get real here about the gates this is opening up for auto rates to exploit before rejoicing at the fall of a minor tyrant by a far bigger tyrant on the make and trying to reach a whole new level of self serving tyrannical power with the World as his plaything. I prefer tyrants to be overthrown by democratic preferably internal forces, not a bigger wannabe tyrant.
The international rules based order is now a historic concept: so last year.
International rules were always a myth. They were only applied when it suited nations and ignored when it didn’t.
I think we are going to discover like Demicracy they were the best bad solution available and all those small Countries who suffered before are going to be far worse off in the future sadly, just total lawns to 2 or 3 Imperialist power brokers. The rules based system for all its faults was the only real barrier to a dystopian future. Geez and we haven’t had to truly face up to AI hegemony and the loss of real jobs yet. Well at least it shows why we haven’t been visited by intelligent life as yet.
Hmmm I wonder what happens to this new US World imposed Order when the US itself falls into civil war which I fear only the mid terms has any real chance of putting off. Or when China is overwhelmingly the greater power, does Trump think he can merely transact his way out of that I wonder.pitythe poor numpty who is left in that quandary, MAGA or otherwise. Imagine the likes of Vance handling that one 💥.
you mean last century? Iraq 2003 was a sham.
now let’s hope Venezuela doesn’t turn into Haiti. Venezuela is a deeply divided nation, because regardless of what one may think of Maduro, he still had support from a large part of the population, even if it’s not the majority.
..and much perhaps most of the ext are hardly lovers of Trump. We have no idea where this leads.
apparently the US is running the country for the duration of the transition (which has no timeline)
The big question is still… why? I see no reason why the US would attack Venezuela. What was the catalyst for all this? Drug trafficking? That hardly warrants air strikes
Huge amount of heavy oil, that their economy needs. There are only a handful of counties that can produce it.
I don’t doubt that for a second. I do wonder though what the US’ justification, there was seemingly no attempt made to manufacture consent or build any form of casus belli at all. It’s utterly bizarre just out the blue
Providing a smoke screen for the Epstein files I would guess and building a tough guy image ahead of the mid terms.
Plus they now control their largest competitor in heavy oil, which will help push up the prices and boost US exports and the economy, again linked to mid terms and offsetting negative effects of the tarrifs.
That would be my guess
Yep the US just joined Russia on the invade who the hell you like side.. China, well China actually thinks it’s got a moral responsibility to become one nation and finally close its civil war.. as soon as China is confident it can kick the shit out of the USN in the first island chain or that the US will not defend Taiwan it’s going for it.. I suspect Russia is getting ready to move forward with a Baltic state as soon as it can get the US to pull out and stir some ethnic issues.
Judging by recent outcomes, the PLA is walking into a suicide mission with any conflict with the USN.
Venezuela had some of the most advanced Chinese and Russian GBAD in existence and the US just pulled the president out of his house in a helicopter. Seems unlikely that china could even establish airspace denial.
Trump & the USA is still v friendly with other drug trafficking S American nations. Trump recently released the ex-honduran(or was it Guatamalan?) president who had been convicted & jailed un the USA of drug & arms trafficking. So it doesn’t appear to be morality or law driving this, just Trumps spite & corporate US fascism.
The major sources of Fentanyl aren’t from Venezuela anyway, so it’s just a fake excuse.
neither is cocaine, which is mostly produced in Columbia, Peru and Bolivia.
Venezuela happens to have vast fossil fuel reserves.
Marco Rubio and the Cuban dissidents wanted it. It was also backed by Exon who didn’t want him interfering in Guiana next door. It’s been on the cards for a while, much like Iraq, it was just waiting for a US president dumb enough to pull the trigger.
It’s Trump.
There is no why, just the current voices in his head and public self-abuse.
There is arguably some aspiration to (long term) reduce US dependence on Canadian heavy oil, which can in measure be substituted by Venezuela, and to recreate the mid-20C banana republic economies of Central America. But that is the white nationalists in the administration, and Trump with his head filled with the news as it was when he was in his teens.
I agree but I think the voices currently in his ear are Cuban dissidents. Take our Venezuelan crude exports to Cuba then the Cuban regime falls.
Oil is a secondary benefit and opening up the ability to ship Venezuelan refugees back home is another benefit.
Trump also likes it because it makes him look tough like Iran did and it diverts attention from the Epstein files.
Trump sees lots of wins for Trump and others around him agree so he does it.
Taiwan is now up for grabs.
Denmark will be sweating over Greenland.
What will two tier have to say?
Will this accelerate European defence spending and self sufficiency?
Iran’s leaders will also be nervous. Go outside and the people will kill them, Russia is too depleted to help.
Trump is doing what he said he would.
Maybe this is the route Starmers “smashing the gangs ” should take. Target foreign criminals and them ultimately change the Regime.
Greenland is a fair point, along with Canada. Worrying times. I always thought it was distraction politics, but I’m starting to get concerned.
‘Trump is doing what he said he would.’
He also said that he would be a president of peace, and would keep America out of foreign conflicts.
Well his achieving peace, by first fanning the flames of war and then taking credit for ending them.
‘i’ve ended eight wars, all eight of them’
The US already has the right to station any forces it wants on Greenland under 1951 treaty
It’s hard to see what an invasion looks like on that basis if you already have the right to invade.
He can claim he has invaded it but only congress can annex territory.
If he does try to grab it the best thing Denmark can do is nothing. Just ignore it and wait until 2029 then get the next US president to end the 1951 treaty and remove all US forces from Greenland which they will likely be more than willing to do.
Doubt it.
Democrats are just as anti-europe, if not more. Obama started the drum beat of ‘Europe not paying enough”.
I see the Democratic Party as anti UK but pro Europe however they are certainly not pro occupation of green land.
The biggest risk may be an anti us military stance by democrats after it’s been turned on them.
But anyone enjoy your imperial adventures, hopefully you don’t get drafted 😀
You see wrong.
Democrats don’t like Europe, or historically white cultures or societies in general.
Kidnapping other countries leaders is definitely a new low point for Trump. Maduro needed to go but this is just wrong. Who will be the next target for the coercive extortionist in the White House?
Maybe next time Trump meets Putin he could act ion the international arrest warrant?
Of course he won’t, Trump always has presidential pardons for mates who are criminals.
Wonder how secure in democratic intitutions & rule of law Trumps opponents in the USA feel right now?
This has to be an illegal act. Trump has given the order to attack Venezuela and remove their President, and his Wife in a totally unprovoked and unilateral act of aggression, without the approval of the House or the Senate.
Congressional impeachment is unlikely; more specifically conviction is unlikely. Trump has already faced impeachment twice, but the Senate has never confirmed impeachment of a sitting President and I don’t see them doing so over this.
The president can no longer be convicted of any crime related to his time in office.. he got that one fixed by his Supreme Court.
the silence of opposition voices in the US is deafning,thatis the craziest part. the whole balance of power in the US is completly broken.
This is nothing to do with drugs. That’s just a smoke screen for his simpleton MAGA following. He wants the oil. Simple as that. And blowing up a few boats won’t make any difference to the drug problems and addiction across America.
You mean the infrastructure US companies built, and was illegally seized and nationalized?
Sorry to break it to you but any sovereign nation has in the end the ability to do that, the honest ones pay a fair price.. Argentina did it, but the US never invaded them ?
I find it amazing how you guys talk out of both sides of your mouth to disparage the USA any chance you get.
“The rules based order is under attack!”
“Venezuela can seize and nationalize US assets in its own country! International law doesn’t matter!”
The real clowns have been located.
The real clowns invade random countries.. but they are not funny clowns.
You guys were not big on stolen property in 1956 when we invaded suez.
I think a sovereign nation can do what the hell it likes in its own country. It’s not for the US to decide.
The US is also a sovereign nation, and it has decided.
This would be my philosophy, with the limitation that action should be taken in the event of extreme circumstances and loss of life.
Very worrying times the world order no longer exists if people in America cannot see what is becoming of their once proud country under Trump I despair!
All he wants is the heavy oil as stated previously that their oil refineries need unfortunately no European leaders will have the balls to call him out on it and just Bury their heads!
While we piss about and order no military equipment of note in 18 months!
The ability to have something as easy as helicopters over a foreign nations capital implies the US has been able to quickly dismantle (or evade) Venezuela’s quite large inventory of relatively modern Russian kit. A rather impressive operation
Should be another lesson for us all. If you’re not playing the game then you’re one of the game pieces. Sometime the people of Britain and Europe will quit moaning that all the free sh’t they are getting isn’t good enough and start thinking about defending the free sh’t that they have. Once that happens, governments will be able to do the switcheroo on budget priorities and more quickly ramp up spending on defence and related policy areas.
Brexit was our nations decision to be a piece rather than a player. EU is a massive consumer market and a major trading bloc, that means they can easily stand up to the US or China, and have a proven track record of doing so. We decided to give up on that.
I don’t think the EU is the channel for resistance, not unless it becomes the thing that only the very ardent Europhiles want it to become: a federal United States of Europe, otherwise it is just a kitchen with 27 chefs. I was for the EU at the time but I’m not heartbroken that we’ve left.
The EU’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine changed to follow the policy set by Brexit Britain.
To use your analogy the EU was the piece, the UK the player.
Reality can be awkward when it comes to developing an argument that stands up to scrutiny.
👍
Let’s face it everyone’s response to Russia was a mess, every nation including the UK was too interwind with them. We let all the money that was here leave.
Was more thinking economically than military as even the US has failed to stop a number of wars recently, after threatning military action.
I would say it’s more of a tacit understanding or even an explicit one with the Venezuelan army that they are coming to snatch Maduro and they will fire back if fired upon.. it’s a negotiated exit, it has to be
They have been talking this up for months. I suspect careful planning and learning from Israel and how they dealt with iran air defences.
Absolutely a lesson to all those who say Apache etc can’t be used.
Plenty of S300 systems and MANPADS around but my guess is the early strikes took the S300s out and nobody was stupid enough to try MANPADS given the likely blowback of a targeted rocket. Or maybe the message got across after none of the MANPADS connected with the target and all that happened was the launcher being taken out. Be interesting to know?
Caine’s brief says they used F-22, F-18 and F-35 to SEAD, then the MH-47’s were escorted by attack helicopters that engaged lower level ground targets. Basically the most generic hi-low combined arms you would image today.
If the level of venomous anti-Americanism and total contempt for the US’s national security interests expressed above are reflective of the UK’s population then the US is totally justified in severing all defense ties with the UK and letting drift into obscurity. Ave Atque Vale.
F*ck the govt of the USA
Yes, because the Americans are the victims here, of course. The mean comments are just so mean.
The American ‘national security interests’ are no more valid in justifying this attack than the Russian ‘national security interests’ were in justifying the war in Ukraine. These are equivalent actions, and should be treated as such. They won’t be, of course.
With respect, you’ll find that most Brits are very fond of America and Americans, although sometimes do not support the actions of the man who happens to be in the White House for that fleeting moment of history. If you want even more egregious examples of the things that you describe, then you should look no further than the media and commentators in the USA itself.
It’s not anti Americanism, it’s calling out the MAGA tin-pot dictator in making. He justifies the arrest of Maduro for drug & arms trafficking. But he recently let another central American leader tried & convicted in the USA go scot free because he’s a rabid RW ally. He is close friends with Putin who rapes, pillages, abducts & murders across UKR & threatens anybody who opposes him. Trump is no statesman, no great man, just an outbreak of evil hiding in plain sight, mercurial & spiteful. If he is the colour of the USA in the future you can take all your bases & arms deals & clear off back to MAGA-land.
Churchill & Roosevelt would be spinning in their graves.
There’s no venomous anti-Americanism.
There’s just reaction to oserved events, as the USA goes rogue after Trump has put its constitution into the wood chipper.
Trump and the Magaoloof lobby want former allies to stand on their own 2 feet, and simultaneously bend over and suck him off. He cant have both, and the former removes dependency, which us is Trump marginalising the USA.
FAFO.
Sorry – a couple of typos but my meaning is clear.
You continue to be a sad clown. Most Brits get on with yanks (remember though you aren’t American anyway) but many have concerns about the actions of Trump! It’s allowed you know.
If you check the opinion polls these are very much the views of the people of the United Kingdom and the people of the USA. Both have great contempt for the current US government.
It’s called democracy, you claim to have invented it.
You should try it 😀
read your US Constitution, the Bill of Rights or any other documents written by your Founding Fathers. you’re a muppet
Does the UK have a bill of rights?
Yes. it was originally for England and Wales as it predates the Union. You’ll find that some of the clauses in the US Bill of Rights were copied from England’s (via Virginia’s).
Yes, it’s where your bill of rights originated from 1689.
You’re not American.
Starmer needs to get his finger out and:
1. Order capabilities we don’t have immediately (air launched ASuW)
2. Order significant amounts of equipment to build resilience (Typhoons, another batch of t26, GBAD, P8)
3. Start urgent recruitment of our armed forces across the 3 services
4. Cease prosecution of forces personnel involved in NI/ Herrick
The days of reliance on the US are gone!
US is no longer a reliable part of NATO
Trump is a RU asset?
He won’t .
Agree –
Like Bojo and Sunak he’s happy to spin and do nothing! Total new orders of kit in last 6 months – 3xRCH 155, did I miss anything else out?
Bridging stuff right?
We are allowed to criticise what we consider a grossly inappropriate action and call it out as something that weakens the west.. pop back to your Russian troll farm my little Putin bot.
Maduro got his golden visa after all
Is it technically an “Invasion” as others have commented.
Yes it would appear that at some point, US personnel were in the country, but have probably all left now, along with Maduro and his wife, plus possibly the staff of the US Embassy. There have been no reports of “major” troop landings, so I would refrain from calling it an invasion, but it can certainly be called an invasion”armed attack/ assault”.
A special military operation
Yes, I saw that in the article, it was about “commentators” talking about the “invasion”.
Venezuela is signed up to the Internation Criminal Court.
Don’t tell Trump.
But if his forces are going around killing civilians, something could be coming.
Exactly the views I expected from the fearless commentariat on this site. Hilariously myopic. Think of the salutary affect on Iran and the Chicoms. The Mullahs have lost their South American ally and the Chinese were only meeting with him yesterday. Now he’s in a brig on a US carrier.
And the Chinese lose one of their biggest oil suppliers. Overnight.
Tough to build a bunch of cheap crap without it.
Venezuela doesn’t even rank within the top 15 nations supplying the most crude to the PRC, not sure they can be termed ‘one of their biggest oil suppliers’.
👍
Just a feeling, but I don’t think the PRC are particularly disadvantaged militarily by these events, and on the balance of things, they’re politically advantaged by this.
Oops, replied to the wrong person, that’s for Ross Hall. Apologies.
Clouds & silver linings. Wonder what Russia and China’s views are on this. Lets hope it upsets them. Interesting times.
This is a dramatic development that is bound to attract a lot of news coverage.
It isn’t however a radical departure from established American foreign policy.
It continues a long history of American military intervention against regimes that the White House disapproves of.
In 1989 the US sent its military into Panama to depose, and arrest its ruler, Manuel Noriega, following an overturned election on charges including drug trafficking.
Manuel Noriega was arrested on this day, in fact. Talk about symbolism.
How long till he does the same with Canada and Mexico as according to him they are also purposely flooding the USA with drugs.
This didn’t come out of nowhere. Venezuela has been sliding into crisis for years, with power increasingly concentrated around the presidency and key institutions like the courts, elections, and media no longer independent. Once peaceful political change became impossible, problems were left to fester rather than be resolved.
At the same time, the economy collapsed despite the country’s huge oil wealth. Corruption, mismanagement, and heavy state controls wrecked production and living standards long before the toughest sanctions were imposed. As conditions worsened, the government relied more on repression to stay in power.
Repression became routine. Opposition politicians, journalists, union leaders, and protest organisers were jailed, barred from office, or forced into exile, often under broad security or terrorism-related charges. Security and intelligence services were used to intimidate critics, which hollowed out organised opposition and made peaceful political change increasingly unrealistic.
Maduro’s grip has depended largely on the loyalty of the security forces, with senior figures benefiting from patronage networks and, according to international investigations, links to organised crime. That shifted how Venezuela was viewed abroad — not just as an authoritarian state, but as a destabilising one.
Relations with the US then crossed a point of no return. Sanctions escalated into criminal indictments and bounties against senior officials, leaving Maduro with no safe exit and Washington with little room to de-escalate without losing credibility.
Add in the regional impact — millions of refugees, cross-border crime, and instability — and you end up with a situation where there were no real off-ramps left. When leaders believe losing power means prison or worse, outcomes tend to be sudden and messy rather than gradual reform.
Damn first few paragraphs I thought we were taking about the UK under this Government!
No one would dispute any of this, but it doesn’t really satisfy any form of justification for what the US just did. Domestic repression in Venezuela seems to have sweet FA to do with the US. There is no real casus belli at all
2 wrongs don’t make a right
That was one of my grandmother’s sayings. She had other sayings. You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Murado was told to stop trafficking drugs into the US; Trump made him an offer he could refuse – and he did.
lol you buy the kool aid that Maduro was a drug trafficker?
will be interesting to compare fentanyl related deaths in US pre and post Maduro.
I bet it will be negligible
It doesn’t matter whether he was the evil leader of the Solas drug cartel or whether he was a puppet manipulated by the real leaders in that cartel. The point is that, as president he was the ‘kingpin’. His removal was a necessary condition for improvement in US drug enforcement. The heads of other cartels will get the message. Other countries like Colombia, who will shortly go to the polls, will get the message. Nigeria got the message. Iran will get the message. The gloved are off. The US has had it with the woke political correctness which legitimises the undermining of the West. That the Venezuelan people get to throw off an oppressive authoritarian regime and return to a prosperous democracy is a fabulous prize.
Trump and his “Untouchables” fighting the good and just war against the evil drugs !
It is far too early to make any informed comment.
At least to me, it seems highly unlikely that such a swift and successful surgical operation could have been undertaken without a great deal of support from within the country itself, quite possibly from elements of the Venezuelan armed forces/security services.
Finally maybe Starmer will wake up and realise Trump is as much an enemy of a stable world as Putin, perhaps more so because Putin is an intelligent cold calculating devious little bastard but Trump is clearly a deranged imbecile. How long before he and the Emperors cabal decide they really don’t like the way the EU treat his social media facists and so he launches a special operation against them? Reagan used to describe the axis of evil threatening world security and now we have the US deciding to join that very axis.
Oh what is a Prime Minister to do. Get brown nosing as usual I guess. Still you could have Farage, who think’s it was a great idea and might deter Russia and China. 🤣
The US is now going around picking off China and Russias Allie’s one by one, first Syria then Venezuela next Iran. China and Russia made a mockery of the UN and this is the price they pay, neither country has much in the way of global military power and the UN was the only way they could have any influence and now that’s gone they look impotent on the world stage.
I can’t say I’m worried about any of this.
Hopefully oil prices keep collapsing and Russia disappears next.
Perhaps after a slight resurgence authoritarianism is over.
Watershed for the world, which is now a safer place. Interestingly I read somewhere that Russian losses in Ukraine now exceed recruitment. The West has turned the corner.
Here’s hoping 🤞
The west and democracy is vastly stronger than we realise, its one of the reasons that the few remaining authoritarian regimes act the way they do.
I suspect that the ordinary people of Venezuela will be quietly delighted by this move as long as Trump confines himself to regime change. Maduro cooked the books on his last election on a massive scale and doesn’t give a damn about the mass population.
As for Iran I’d suspect they are buying extra Loo Roll right now !
Jury’s out on where this goes but I hope it turns out OK for the ordinary people and not the Ferrari driving elite.
I suspect you’re right.
I wonder what happens next. Maduro hasn’t breaken any US laws and they aren’t at a state of war, since Congress hasn’t approved a war. What do they do with him.
Not forgetting they kidnapped his wife as well!
He is accused of breaking multiple US laws. The US did the exact same with Noriega in 1987 and he spent 17 years in a federal prison.
He has now been charged in New York
Will be interesting to see if he goes to public court or is put through a military one in secret.
His a evil git and deserves all he gets but rule of law should matter.
He’ll be in a public NY court on Monday morning for arraignment.
I agree that Trump has broken ‘International Law’; the convention agreed by nation states to respect each other’s sovereignty. That said, every nation has the right of self defence. With his intervention Trump is asserting that this right of self defence extends to attempts by your neighbours, to undermine your democracy by stealth – the intention of drug cartels and chavists. They have succeeded in Venezuela to the extent of putting their man in the presidency. Trump may have infringed man-made laws, but by seizing power in defiance of a legitimate democratic election, Murado has broken a higher law, some would say Divine Law. He has impoverished his nation, betrayed the democratic will of his people and by exporting his sick ideology ( for gain) to his neighbours, he has forfeited his rights under international law. Rights come with responsibilities.
If it was self defence, why didn’t he go to the UN or Congress or even the US people to justify the threat.
Clearly not self defence, this is all about money.
Trump has changed the reason a dozen times in the last few weeks. Democratic process or drugs are clearly not the justification.
Not a Madura fan, but that is for venezuelans to decide/handle
This is just the same BS excuse US used in the past to capture “their guy” Noriega. Diffrence is back then it was for control of the canal, now its about fossil fuels.
US is just a rogue nation at this point, no different than Putin’s Russia or Xi’s China.
Not convinced european leaders (not just EU) have really understood the lesson here, because there is a huge gap between what they say during speeches and what they actually do.
is the next chapter in Canada and Greenland for “national security” … or Iran and Nigeria? Whether its for fossil fuels or other ressources, that seems to be the nature of the game.
to be continued ….
It’s worrying as I agree if this was china/Russia/Iran/… the US would be calling it a war crime and calling for the international community to act. However he covered the Israel and just shows the US administration double standards, also showing they have no high ground in future issues.
Apparently the main proponent of this extraction was Marco Rubio. IMO he is one of the smart guys in the US administration. It is being framed as a law enforcement operation – Maduro will be charged under US law with drug offences. The consequences for Venezuela are for the Venezuelan people to sort out. But the US will honour its responsibility; if you break it you buy it.
He was actually indicted in 2020 I believe on various charges related to drugs trafficking etc etc. He is an absolute toss pot, who is corrupt beyond belief, oppressive and conniving, who has lost the support of his people and use the systems in place to oppress in order to remain in power (Maduro I’m on about not Starmer, although similarities are obvious) and has been allowing his country to be a hub where the narco terrorists travel through and use their coast line to move vast quantity of drugs to the US and the world. But it will be very interesting on purely military matters how this operation was planned and carried out. However, it is a bit concerning that the US can do this, and the fact without a full and open statement justifying this operation, external opinion will always think its down to oil, MAGA support and internal US politics.
Trump has just said the US will become heavily involved in Venezuelas oil industry, just admitted the real reason for this special military operation.
Drugs or not this gives the green light for China and I’m sure from Russia point of view it will be a case of who is Trump to speak about peace .
Gayana and Brazil can breathe for the time being.
Not sure about Denmark and Greenland though 👀
Brilliant news! Donald Trump – avenging Angel. The US have published the dept of Justice indictment. Under Maduro, Venezuela has become a clear and present danger to the safety of the people of the United States and therefore to the entire West. Lord works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. 👌
Well this Is going well.
Can’t wait till the normal evening shenanigans and the “One Off Hit and Runs”
ULYA, time for your two rubles worth me thinks !
Two pennyworth.
Just as Trump has defended the people of the United States from foreign based, corrosive influences intent on undermining US culture and society, so Putin defends Russia from those ideologies which are allowed to flourish in Europe which have the ability to undermine Russian culture and society. Russia issues ‘shared values’ visas which interestingly, have been taken up by some Americans.
Yay rhe US has won the war on drugs. 😀
I suppose we will see drastic reduction of fentanyl, etc. deaths in the US in 2026.
Happy new year and cake for everyone
Well other than fentanyl doesn’t come from Venezuela. Minor problem with that statement.
i thought the smiley emoji made it clear I was being sarcastic
Wow, just heard Trump’s press conference
1. The US will run Venezuela for the transition (no timeline, or plan revealed)
2. US energy companies will get back what was stolen by Venezuela. (There was nationalisation, prior US companies has negotiated rights to exploit, but it did not own the fields, as is the case everywhere in the world regardless of exploited ressource)
I didnt hear much about drugs or any drig seizure at Maduro’s residence. the court case in the US should be eye opening when prosecution needs to reveal its evidence.
My guess is that most of the evidence would be intelligence and documentation; communication intercepts, relationships and transport evidence which prove a solid trail connecting Murado with drugs seized in the US.
let’s hope it bstter quality evidence than the WMD evidence back in 2003 🙂
Will the far-leftist Starmer send troops to defend the Maduro regime? Just kidding, but nothing this government does surprises me.
Trump is practising in case Zac Polanski gets to be Prime Minister. 😉
Next ten years on this planet is going to get very interesting.
We are leaving the Age of Pisces and entering the Age of Aquarius. Those Mayans knew a thing or two 😂
Yeah never took long to kick off 👀
Why?
It’s no different than the 1970’s and 80’s. Stop being so dramatic.
Hahaha didn’t think it sounded to dramatic but what will china be thinking or Russia? They kinda have a get out of jail free card so I’m sure they will be sitting contemplating things to do.
They are already doing exactly what they want. Look at the SCS and Ukraine.
The worrying part for them now, is the US kit looks unbeatable. The S400/S300 has been worthless against the F-35 twice now.
Venezuela doesnt have S400 and only owns very few AA systems which can easily be struck by a few missiles (cruise missile or anti radiation) before any plane gets in within range. There is no way that venezuelan forces could mount any type of effective resistance vs the juggernaut that is the US milktary.
Seems the US had 150 various aircraft in the air incl F15, F18, drones, rotary wing etc….
The thing is will the prosecution in US courts provide enough evidence of Maduro’s drug dealing?
Right now it seems Maduro may be gone, but the regime still has the power with its approx 300k administration and Trump brushed aside Machado, the opposition leader. Will be interesting what deal Trump made with Dulcy Rodrigues who seems to have been promoted from the Chavista regime – will Trump lift oil sanctions as long as US oil giants get priority for contracts to modernize and increase oil output?
Venezuela operates a very advanced network of S-300VM (NATO: SA-23 Gladiator), it’s much closer to the S400 than the traditional S300 you see in Ukraine (SA-10 Grumble).
The Chinese descendants of the S-300, the HQ-9B and HQ-9C, are very different to their Russian forebears, to the point that I don’t think using S-300 as a benchmark for their capability is suitable.
History as we all know repeats. The USA invaded Panama in 1989 to overthrow Manuel Noriega for similar reasons.
Check out this ai generated sitrep. China will be a bit upset I’d say….
‘…of January 4, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to access Venezuela’s vast oil reserves following the removal of President Nicolás Maduro, prompting strong condemnation from China, which called the move a violation of international law and Venezuelan sovereignty.
China remains Venezuela’s top oil customer, with recent data showing it receives about 80% of Venezuela’s oil exports, and continues to assert its right to conduct energy trade with Caracas despite U.S. sanctions and military actions.
The U.S. has intensified efforts to block Venezuelan oil shipments, including seizing tankers bound for China, actions that Beijing has repeatedly condemned as illegal under international law.
Despite U.S. pressure, Chinese oil tankers like Thousand Sunny and Xing Ye are continuing voyages to collect Venezuelan crude, operating outside U.S. sanctions and signaling China’s determination to maintain energy ties.
China’s economic relationship with Venezuela is reinforced by a $60 billion debt-for-oil agreement, meaning oil shipments serve as repayment, making this trade legally binding and less vulnerable to external sanctions.
In September 2025, China Concord began constructing a major offshore oil platform in Venezuela, aiming to increase production to 60,000 barrels per day by 2026, reflecting long-term strategic investment.
Venezuela’s oil exports reached over 921,000 barrels per day in November 2025, with China receiving approximately 746,000 bpd, while the U.S., through Chevron, imported about 150,000 bpd under a limited license.
Trump claimed U.S. oil companies would soon enter Venezuela to rebuild its oil infrastructure, a move analysts warn could further escalate tensions with China, which views such actions as hegemonic.
China has also expanded its diplomatic and economic integration with Venezuela through a zero-tariff trade agreement covering 400 products, deepening bilateral ties beyond oil.
Meanwhile, U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast face operational challenges due to the loss of Venezuelan heavy crude, which they were specifically designed to process, highlighting unintended consequences of the sanctions’
Get out the popcorn….