Caracas: Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez has issued a defiant pledge to secure the return of Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following their seizure by US forces earlier this month. The vow comes as US President Donald Trump claims American intervention has successfully triggered the release of political prisoners in the crisis-hit nation.
Speaking at a community event in Miranda state on Saturday, Rodriguez sought to project stability in the wake of the January 3 US military operation. "There is no uncertainty here. The Venezuelan people are in charge, and there is a government, that of President Nicolas Maduro," she declared, urging national unity to guarantee peace.
Rodriguez stated she would not rest "for a single minute" until Maduro and Flores are returned to Venezuela. Marking the one-year anniversary of her swearing-in alongside Maduro for his third term, she framed the current moment as a new oath for his freedom. She affirmed that her administration continues to implement the "seven lines of action" originally established by Maduro.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump took to social media to announce that Venezuela has begun releasing political prisoners "in a BIG WAY," directly attributing the development to recent American military actions.
"Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners. Thank you!" Trump wrote. He issued a stark message to those being freed, suggesting their liberation was solely due to US intervention. "I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done."
The diplomatic standoff follows US military strikes on Caracas and three other cities on January 3, which resulted in the seizure of Maduro. The operation has drawn sharp condemnation from various international actors, though Washington maintains it was necessary to address the situation in Venezuela.
(Inputs from IANS)