US will run Venezuela until power is transferred - Trump

According to the US president, today’s operation was an attack unlike anything people have seen since World War II — an assault on a heavily fortified military stronghold in the center of Caracas, aimed at bringing the criminal Maduro to justice.

"We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. So we don't want to be involved with having somebody else get in. So, we are going to run the country," Trump said.

He added that the US is prepared to carry out a second, much larger wave of attacks "if we need to do so."

"We were prepared for a second wave, if we needed to do so. We actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but now it's probably not," he said.

Trump stated that "Maduro will face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts." It should be noted that the US has already filed charges against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the Southern District of New York.

Additionally, during the press conference, Trump accused Venezuela of previously "stealing" US oil infrastructure.

Trump said that the operation should serve as a warning to anyone threatening American interests and American lives, hinting that all political and military figures in Venezuela could also be held accountable.

US operation against Venezuela

Today, the US carried out a series of strikes on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. Targets included the Venezuelan parliament building as well as the home of the country’s defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López.

There were also reports of attacks on a military complex, a naval base, an airfield, and other sites. Overall, at least ten locations in the capital may have been hit.

Shortly afterward, US President Donald Trump confirmed the large-scale operation against Venezuela on social media, stating that it had been successfully completed. In his post, he said that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been detained and removed from the country.

RBC-Ukraine previously reported that amid rising tensions, Trump had not ruled out the possibility of a future US military operation against Venezuela. He had also mentioned a strike on a site in the country, claiming that loading docks potentially used for drug trafficking had been destroyed.

We also reported that the US has accused Maduro of drug-related terrorism and conspiracy against the country, charging him with organizing cocaine imports into the US.