Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the United States to detain Russian President Vladimir Putin — after US forces captured ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in an overnight operation.
Zelensky didn’t hold back when pressed about the US toppling Maduro’s regime after President Trump ordered airstrikes on military sites around the Venezuelan capital of Caracas early Saturday morning.
“How should I react to this? What can I say?” the Ukrainian leader told reporters after meeting with European national security advisers Saturday.
“If it’s possible to deal with dictators this way, then the US knows what to do next,” he added, suggesting that Trump should handle Putin the same way, as Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine three years after invading the war-torn country.
Russia was among several nations Saturday that demanded the Trump administration release Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, after they were captured from their home in the South American country.
“In view of the confirmed reports about Venezuelan President Nicolás 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,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“We highlight the need to create conditions for resolving any existing issues between the United States and Venezuela through dialogue.”
The couple arrived in New York City Saturday night to face federal narco-terrorism charges.
Trump said the couple will face the “full wrath of American justice.”
Maduro and Flores will be held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, sources said.
They are expected to appear in federal court as early as Monday.
