By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked the United States to apply the same forceful approach it used against Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro to other authoritarian leaders, in an apparent reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv over the weekend after a meeting with national security advisers from European nations and NATO allies, aimed at preparing for an upcoming Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, Zelenskyy responded cryptically when asked about the dramatic U.S. operation that captured Maduro.
“If dictators can be dealt with like this, then the United States of America knows what it should do next,” Zelenskyy said, drawing smiles and raising eyebrows among observers who interpreted it as a nod toward Putin amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The comment comes less than 24 hours after U.S. special forces, led by elite Delta Force operators, apprehended Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their Caracas compound in a pre-dawn raid dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve.” The couple was initially transferred to the USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault ship before being flown to New York.
Maduro, 63, and Flores arrived late Saturday at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, a notorious federal facility known for harsh conditions and previously housing high-profile figures like Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ghislaine Maxwell. The ousted leader, who ruled Venezuela for nearly 13 years, faces a superseding four-count indictment in the Southern District of New York on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and weapons possession. U.S. prosecutors accuse him of heading the “Cartel de los Soles,” designated a foreign terrorist organization.
Also indicted are Flores, Maduro’s son, two senior officials, and a leader of the Tren de Aragua gang, similarly labeled a terrorist group.
Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has assumed the role of acting president in Caracas, condemning the operation as “aggression” and demanding the couple’s release. President Donald Trump, who personally oversaw the raid from Mar-a-Lago and posted images of a blindfolded Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima, declared the U.S. would temporarily “run” Venezuela to facilitate a transition and access its oil reserves. Maduro reportedly rejected a late-December ultimatum from Trump to exile himself.
The unprecedented capture of a sitting head of state has sparked global shock, with allies like Russia and China decrying it as a violation of sovereignty, while Venezuelan expatriates celebrated in cities like Miami. Legal experts debate its precedents, comparing it to the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama.
Zelenskyy’s remark underscores Ukraine’s hope for bolder U.S. support against Russia, even as Trump pursues diplomatic off-ramps in the nearly four-year war.
