In a striking geopolitical development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has implicitly called for the United States to remove Russian leader Vladimir Putin from power. His comments came in response to an extraordinary US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him to America to face serious criminal charges.
Zelensky's Veiled Call for Action Against Moscow
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Saturday after meeting European national security advisors, President Zelensky was asked about former US President Donald Trump's authorised military action against Venezuela. "How should I react to this? What can I say?" the Ukrainian leader remarked with a wry smile.
He then added a pointed suggestion: "If it's possible to deal with dictators this way, then the US knows what to do next." This was widely interpreted as an insinuation that Washington should deal with Russia's Vladimir Putin in a similar fashion for his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now nearing its fourth year.
The Dramatic Capture and Indictment of Maduro
The context for Zelensky's remarks is a stunning escalation in US-Venezuela relations. Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife were reportedly captured and flown out of the country in a military operation earlier on Saturday. They have since been indicted in the United States on a series of grave charges.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the indictment in the Southern District of New York. She stated Maduro faces charges of Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, and weapons charges related to machine guns and destructive devices.
"They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts," Bondi declared. The specific charges against Maduro's wife remain unclear.
Adding to the drama, Donald Trump shared a shocking image on social media showing a blindfolded Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima. Trump stated the US had "successfully" carried out a military strike after explosions were reported in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
Kyiv Meetings and Ongoing War in Ukraine
Zelensky's comments coincided with a visit to Kyiv by European national security advisers. The meetings focused on security guarantees and economic support for Ukraine, part of an intensifying diplomatic push to end the war.
The Ukrainian president indicated that peace proposal work could accelerate, as all relevant documents have been shared with advisors from 18 nations. "We expect that this further work will now take place in the capitals of European countries as well as Canada, Japan and other representatives of the Coalition of the Willing," he said, referencing the roughly 30 countries backing Ukraine.
Zelensky emphasised urgency, noting, "We are not allocating a great deal of time for this process." He outlined a schedule of meetings, including with Ukrainian military staff in Paris on Monday, followed by talks with European leaders on Tuesday where he hopes to finalise security guarantee documents. Meetings with US representatives in Paris are also planned.
Meanwhile, the war's toll continues. The death toll from a Russian missile attack on Kharkiv on Friday rose to two, including a three-year-old boy. An overnight drone attack on the Mykolaiv region targeted critical infrastructure, causing power outages, though no casualties were reported.
