Hope and tension rise as talks seek Maduro’s release
Trump warns Delcy Rodriguez faces harsher consequences if she defies U.S. efforts, raising stakes in Venezuela’s deepening crisis
Venezuela awoke on Sunday to a political reality few could have imagined just days earlier. With Nicolás Maduro removed from power and now in U.S. custody, the country’s fragile institutions were forced into rapid transition, uncertainty, and fear. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez moved swiftly, announcing the formation of a special commission tasked with seeking the release of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. It was her first major act after assuming leadership—and a signal that the crisis was far from over.
Rodríguez convened her first cabinet meeting within hours of being sworn in, addressing ministers who themselves appeared shaken by the speed and scale of events. According to officials present, the atmosphere was tense, marked by unanswered questions about sovereignty, security, and the country’s immediate future. The commission she announced is expected to engage with international actors, legal advisers, and diplomatic channels in an effort to secure Maduro’s return, or at least clarify his legal fate.
But even as Rodríguez attempted to project authority and continuity, pressure from Washington mounted. On the same day as her appointment, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning. If the interim government did not cooperate fully with the United States, he said, Rodríguez could face consequences “bigger than Maduro.” The statement underscored the imbalance of power shaping the crisis and made clear that Caracas was now operating under intense external scrutiny.
Maduro himself is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in New York at noon on Monday, January 5, 2026. The court appearance will formally notify him of the charges he faces—charges that U.S. officials have long said relate to corruption, drug trafficking, and human rights abuses. For many Venezuelans, the image of their long-time leader standing in a foreign courtroom is both surreal and deeply symbolic, representing the collapse of a political era that once promised revolution and independence.
President Trump, meanwhile, struck a defiant tone. He insisted that the United States was now “in charge” of Venezuela following Maduro’s seizure, even as his administration acknowledged the need to deal with Rodríguez’s interim government. The mixed messaging—asserting dominance while engaging diplomatically—has added to global unease about what comes next, not only for Venezuela but for international norms surrounding intervention and sovereignty.
On the ground in Venezuela, the human cost of the operation is becoming clearer, even as official figures remain elusive. No confirmed death toll has been released, fueling speculation and fear among families searching for missing relatives. Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López broke the silence partially, stating that a “large part” of Maduro’s security team was killed “in cold blood” during the U.S. strike. He added that military personnel and civilians were also among the dead, a claim that has yet to be independently verified.
These remarks have resonated deeply in a nation already scarred by years of violence, shortages, and political repression. In Caracas neighborhoods, residents described hearing explosions and gunfire during the overnight operation, followed by hours of silence broken only by rumors. “We don’t know who is alive, who is dead, or what tomorrow looks like,” said one shopkeeper, who asked not to be named out of fear.
For Rodríguez, the challenge ahead is immense. She must balance internal demands for stability and justice with external pressure from a superpower that has openly declared control over the situation. Her commission’s push to free Maduro may rally loyalists but risks provoking harsher responses from Washington. At the same time, failing to act could fracture the ruling coalition she now leads.
International reaction has been swift but divided. Some governments have condemned the U.S. action as a dangerous precedent, while others remain cautiously silent, waiting to see whether the interim leadership can prevent further bloodshed. Human rights groups are calling for transparent investigations into civilian deaths and for Maduro’s legal process to respect international standards.
As night fell on Sunday, Venezuela stood suspended between past and future—between a deposed strongman facing justice abroad and an interim leader struggling to assert legitimacy at home. For ordinary citizens, exhausted by years of crisis, the overriding hope is simple: that the days ahead bring less violence, clearer answers, and a chance, however fragile, to reclaim some measure of normal life.