Kyiv [Ukraine], January 4 : Hours after US President Donald Trump announce the capture of Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy weighed in with an oblique reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin and said that if a dictator can be treated the way Nicolas Maduro was, US President Donald Trump knows what to do next.
In a news conference when the Ukranian President was asked about the Maduro capture he said, "What can I say here? If this can be done to dictators, like that, then the United States of America know what they should do next."
The obvious reference was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier, 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 stated, "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."
"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.
US President Donald 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.
Meanwhile, the US has released a video of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in handcuffs staging the 'Perp-walk' as he was led to custody.
Maduro will be transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in New York City, as per CNN.MDC is described as "disgusting" with "horrifying" conditions, and is known for its squalid conditions, chronic understaffing, inmate violence and power outages.
Hours after Maduro and his wife's abduction, Venezuela's opposition was seen celebrating.
Trump expressed a lack of confidence in Maria Corina Machado, Former Deputy of the National Assembly of Venezuela and suggested he'd instead partner with Maduro loyalist Delcy Rodriguez.
Machado had called for the immediate installation of Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as president. Most Western governments regard Gonzalez as the legitimate winner of the contested 2024 presidential election in Venezuela, as reported by CNN.