Trump’s Motive for Capturing Maduro...UN Security Council Schedules Emergency Meeting for the 5th

[Financial News] JD Vance, Vice President of the United States, asserted that the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the 64-year-old President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, was both legal and necessary.

On the early morning of January 3rd, the first Saturday of the new year (local time), the Donald Trump administration launched an airstrike on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife alive.
Subsequently, Vice President Rodríguez of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela issued a statement demanding the immediate release of the presidential couple, declaring that President Maduro remains the country’s sole legitimate leader.
Regarding the incident, JD Vance, U.S. Vice President, posted on his social media, stating, “This is a notice to everyone calling this ‘illegal.’ Maduro has been indicted in the United States on multiple charges related to drugs and terrorism, and living in the palace in Caracas does not exempt him from American justice for drug trafficking.”
He added, “President Trump offered several off ramps,” and emphasized, “Drug trafficking must be stopped, and stolen oil must be returned to the United States.”
The New York Times (NYT) noted that the term ‘stolen oil’ refers to the U.S. administration’s view that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela illegally seized American oil fields through nationalization.
In the past, American oil companies had invested heavily in oil fields and refineries in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. However, in the late 2000s, then-President Hugo Chávez nationalized these assets, forcibly transferring American corporate property to the Venezuelan government.
The Maduro couple is expected to be transferred to the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City before being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn (MDC Brooklyn).
The United States had already indicted President Maduro in March 2020, during the first Trump administration, on charges including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), President Maduro is expected to appear in court next week at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Meanwhile, The New York Times (NYT) reported that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will convene an emergency meeting on the 5th (local time) to discuss the U.S. military operation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
If the meeting is convened, it is anticipated that Venezuela’s allies, including Russia and China, will focus on rallying criticism against the U.S. military action, arguing that it violates international law.

moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter