The future governance of Venezuela remained uncertain following the US capture of the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, on Saturday, with splits emerging between US President Donald Trump’s administration, the US Congress and international leaders.

The United Nations Security Council debated the implications of the raid in an emergency meeting on Monday, with Russia, China and leftist allies of Venezuela condemning the operation.

In addition, Venezuela’s opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, said she hoped to return to the country shortly, and praised the US operation. But she said she had not spoken recently to Trump, who said following Maduro’s capture that Machado lacked the “respect” to lead Venezuela.

And on Monday, two sources told Reuters that a classified CIA assessment presented to Trump concluded senior Maduro loyalists, including Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, now the interim president, were best positioned to maintain stability.

Maduro and his wife face narcotics charges in the US. He pleaded not guilty in court in New York on Monday.

On Sunday, Trump asserted that “we are in charge” of Venezuela. US White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reiterated to CNN on Monday that “the United States of America is running Venezuela,” although it does not have boots on the ground there.

“We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission,” Miller said.

But US House Speaker Mike Johnson, also a Republican, said that Venezuela should hold elections soon. His comments came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called voting premature following the toppling of Maduro.

Speaking to reporters after a briefing to lawmakers from Rubio and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Johnson added that he did not expect the United States to send troops to Venezuela, a possibility that Trump refused to rule out publicly.

“I expect that there will be an election called in Venezuela,” said Johnson, the top member of Trump’s party in Congress.

“Some of these things are still being determined, of course, but it should happen in short order. And I think it will need to be, so that their economy can remain stabilized and the country can remain stabilized,” he said.

Rubio, Hegseth and........

© The Times of Israel