On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the United States’ capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy expressed confidence that Washington has a clear plan for what comes next.

Zelenskyy addressed the media in Kyiv following discussions with national security advisors from the Coalition of the Willing. When queried about the dramatic U.S. military operation in Caracas, which occurred in the early hours of the morning, he shared his thoughts.

In response to a question about Venezuela, Zelenskyy replied in Ukrainian, “How should we approach this situation? Well, my comment is, if you can deal with dictators in this manner, then the United States certainly knows its next steps,” he remarked with a hint of a smile.

The U.S. military operation resulted in Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, being taken from their residence. They were subsequently transported aboard the USS Iwo Jima to New York, where Maduro is now facing federal charges.

Meanwhile, federal law enforcement personnel are positioned outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York, awaiting the arrival of the captured former Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro. This development took place on Saturday, January 3, 2026. (Photo by Yuki Iwamura/AP)

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the capture of Maduro and his wife, urging the Trump administration to release the “legitimately elected president of a sovereign country and his spouse.”

In a superseding indictment released Saturday by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Maduro is charged with leading a narco-terrorism conspiracy tied to large-scale cocaine trafficking into the United States, along with related drug importation and weapons offenses.

Flores is also charged in the same indictment with participating in a decades-long cocaine trafficking conspiracy and related firearms offenses.

The charges build on prior indictments from 2020.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro gestures next to his wife Cilia Flores as they leave the Capitolio, home of the National Assembly, after taking the oath during the presidential inauguration in Caracas on Jan. 10, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine said the mission, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” involved more than 150 aircraft and a coordinated effort by the U.S. military, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement to apprehend the duo.

“This operation is a testament to the dedication and unwavering commitment to justice and our resolve to hold accountable those who threaten peace and stability,” he said at a Mar-a-Lago press conference alongside President Donald Trump and other Cabinet officials.

Trump told reporters he never spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Maduro. 

“I’m not thrilled with Putin. He’s killing too many people,” the president said when asked whether he was upset at the Russian leader.

President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Moscow has continued pounding Kyiv with large-scale drone and missile attacks as the Trump administration works to secure a potential peace agreement to end the nearly four-year war.

“Russia has not shown a genuine willingness to pursue peace. Instead, it continues its aggressive war, violence, and destabilization, using negotiations as a tactic to buy time,”  Zelenskyy said during the Coalition of the Willing meeting, according to a statement from his office. “It employs provocations and manipulations to derail progress in the peace process,”