Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded the immediate release of detained President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores during a national television address in Caracas between 7:16 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. UTC on January 3, 2026, while presiding over the Nation's Defense Council with top officials including Defense Minister and Chancellor Yván Gil, according to X user lubrio. President Donald Trump stated in a press conference that Rodríguez told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio she is willing to cooperate with Washington following Maduro's capture, according to X user TReporta citing AFP. Rodríguez invoked Maduro's instructions for popular mobilization to defend sovereignty against what she called a savage attack violating the UN Charter, per lubrio. Former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife boarded an FBI-linked Boeing 757-223 at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and departed for New York City during this period, according to X user sentdefender. Several Venezuelan state governors issued statements asserting they remain in charge, flanked by armed forces members, per X user Osint613. Video showed Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López and General José Ornelas Ferreira leaving the vice presidential building to meet Rodríguez, with Ornelas departing in an escort vehicle, according to X user Ulul4r. French President Emmanuel Macron stated Venezuelans are free from Maduro's dictatorship and called for a peaceful transition led by elected President Edmundo González Urrutia, noting talks with regional partners for French nationals' safety, per his X post. Qatar expressed deep concern over Venezuelan developments and called for dialogue, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs X account. These follow U.S. capture of Maduro earlier January 3 and his prior transfer from Caracas, per previous reports.
