Moscow [Russia], January 4 : The Russian Foreign Ministry urged the United States to release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, calling them the "legitimately elected leaders" and stressing that issues between the two countries should be resolved through dialogue.
In a post on X, the Russian MFA shared, "In view of the confirmed reports about Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his spouse being in the United States, we strongly urge the US leadership to reconsider their position and release the legitimately elected president of a sovereign country and his spouse."
}}}}⚡️In view of the confirmed reports about Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his spouse being in the US, we strongly urge the US leadership to reconsider their position & release the legitimately elected president of a sovereign country and his spousehttps://t.co/mZPc8wZEZ9 pic.twitter.com/9VSgpdeSnp— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) January 3, 2026
"We highlight the need to create conditions for resolving any existing issues between the United States and Venezuela through dialogue," the post read.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in Caracas and flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement.
Trump said that Maduro and his wife, who were captured in Caracas during a US military operation, have been indicted on charges of alleged "drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies" in the Southern District of New York, and will face trial.
Trump said, "No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday or frankly, in just a short period of time. All Venezuelan military capacities were rendered powerless as the men and women of our military, working with US law enforcement, successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night."
"It was dark, and it was deadly, but he was captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores, both of whom now face American justice. Maduro and Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York," he said.
Trump said that Maduro and his wife "will soon face the full might of American justice and stand trial on American soil" for their alleged role in drug trafficking, adding that they are currently being taken to New York, with authorities to decide later whether the trial will be held in New York or Florida.
According to an unsealed indictment shared by Attorney General Pamela Bondi on X, Maduro and Flores face multiple counts of statutory allegations related to "drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies".
The capture of Maduro comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela.
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