(Image source from: AFP)

There seems to be more understanding about the relationship between the US and Russia, a week after a surprising action that took Venezuela by surprise. Last week, US forces unexpectedly took Venezuela's former president, Nicolas Maduro, from his bed to a jail in New York. The way he was taken shows the idea that power determines what is right, with friends like Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky hinting that US President Donald Trump might consider doing the same thing to Russia's Vladimir Putin. Trump disagreed with Zelensky, saying that such an action is "not needed," but he expressed that he is "very let down" by Putin. Putin is facing an arrest order from the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Maduro's capture at the beginning of the year likely gave more confidence to Washington's allies, including Ukraine, which has been fighting against a renewed Russian attack since 2022, managing to keep its capital, Kyiv, safe from being taken over. Discussing Maduro's capture, Zelensky indirectly pointed at Putin, saying that if this is how a "dictator" should be dealt with, then "the United States knows what to do next. " When asked about Zelensky's comments and whether Trump would ever command a mission to seize Putin, the President replied, "I don’t believe that will be necessary. ""I think we’re going to have a— and always have had— a good relationship with him. I am very disappointed. I’ve resolved eight wars. I assumed this one would be easier," Trump told journalists.

While mentioning the loss of soldiers, the President expressed sadness that he couldn't stop the fighting between Ukraine and Russia and restated his claim of ending eight wars around the globe. "Last month, they suffered 31,000 casualties. Many were Russian soldiers. The Russian economy isn't doing well. I believe we will eventually resolve it. I wish we could have acted faster because many lives are being lost, mostly soldiers," Trump stated. Shortly after midnight in Caracas, Maduro, then president of Venezuela, and his wife, Cilia Flores, were probably asleep in their home when US jets started bombing the city. The elite Delta Force, one of the US's most secret military groups, then captured Maduro and took him out of the country to a US military base. He was subsequently transported to New York on the USS Jima, a large amphibious assault ship.

Now, Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has taken over as president of Venezuela, with the Trump administration planning to take control of the country's oil exports.