US President Donald Trump gave an interview on Fox & Friends Weekend hours after the US struck Venezuela and captured its leader Nicolas Maduro. The president said he watched the operation live “like a TV show”: “It was just incredible, amazing work that these people did. No one else could do anything like this,” Trump said of the operation. Trump said a helicopter was shot down during the operation in Venezuela and several American troops were injured, but he believes no one was killed.

News The Insider 3 January 2026 With the start of the new year, a sweeping package of legislative changes is coming into force in Russia. Some of them tighten control over individuals and expand the powers of the security services, while others affect taxes, social benefits, and the country’s economy. Repressive legislation Personal income tax for “foreign agents” to be set at 30% From Jan.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said the government does not know the whereabouts of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores, Reuters reports . Her words were broadcast on state television: “We demand that the government of President Donald Trump immediately provide evidence that President Nicolas Maduro and the First Lady are alive.” Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said the country will resist the "presence" of foreign troops.

POLITICS Nikita Smagin 3 January 2026 Even before the current wave of protests began sweeping over Iran, the authorities in Tehran were already loosening their control over a few select aspects of everyday life in the country. Rules around the hijab were largely going unenforced, women could be seen riding motorcycles, and restaurants were discreetly serving alcohol. However, at the same time state control in the social sphere was on the wane, repression elsewhere was ramping up.

Even before the current wave of protests began sweeping over Iran, the authorities in Tehran were already loosening their control over a few select aspects of everyday life in the country. Rules around the hijab were largely going unenforced, women could be seen riding motorcycles, and restaurants were discreetly serving alcohol. However, at the same time state control in the social sphere was on the wane, repression elsewhere was ramping up.

US Attorney General Pamela Jo Bondi announced that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been formally charged in the US. “Nicholas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores have been formally charged in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro was charged with conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, unlawful possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, against the backdrop of news of the US capture of the President of Venezuela, published his own post, which he first wrote in July 2025. “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT a legitimate government. Maduro is the head of the Cartel de los Soles, a narco-terrorist organization that has taken over the country. Charges have been brought against him for trafficking drugs into the United States,” Rubio said in the post.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva criticized the American authorities for actions in Venezuela and the capture of the country's President Nicolas Maduro, who is already facing charges in the United States. “The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of the country’s president have crossed all limits of what is permissible. These actions represent a serious attack on Venezuelan sovereignty and another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community.

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky on the evening of January 2 announced the appointment of a new head of the Ministry of Defense. This post will be occupied by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov, who will replace Denis Shmygal, who held this post (who, in turn, was previously prime minister). Zelensky said: “I proposed that Mikhail Fedorov become the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said that the EU is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela: “I spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and our ambassador in Caracas. The EU is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela. The EU has repeatedly said Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has advocated a peaceful transition. In all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed support for the people of Venezuela amid news of the capture of the country's president and the charges brought against him in the United States. “We are monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. We stand with the people of Venezuela and advocate for a peaceful and democratic transition. Any decision must comply with international law and the UN Charter.

The United States intends to govern Venezuela until it can achieve a safe, proper and reasonable transition of power, US President Donald Trump said at a press conference on what happened in Caracas.

US President Donald Trump ordered strikes on targets in Venezuela, including military facilities, US officials told CBS News. Officially, the White House has not commented on what is happening in Venezuela. The explosions occurred in the capital Caracas and other areas in the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, the Venezuelan government said in a statement. This prompted President Nicolas Maduro to declare a national emergency and mobilize defense forces.

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sharply condemned the US actions in Venezuela, calling them “an act of armed aggression”: “Latin America must remain the zone of peace that it declared itself to be in 2014. And Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, especially military, intervention from the outside.

During visits to military control centers, Putin has already appeared in front of cameras four times in the last three months in camouflage, although until March 2025 he consistently avoided military uniforms even within the framework of media events directly related to the war. There is little doubt that the Kremlin is using this image as one of the instruments of influence on negotiations on a peaceful settlement in Ukraine with US representatives.