US-Venezuela as it happened: Maduro appears in New York court; UN condemns US strike; Machado praises Trump’s ‘courageous vision’

Thank you for reading our live coverage of the events following the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who remains in custody after he and wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges in a New York federal court on Tuesday morning (AEDT).

Attention has now turned to what US President Donald Trump might do next, after threatening further strikes in Venezuela and similar operations in a handful of Latin American nations. Here’s the latest:

• Maduro was shackled at the ankles while pleading not guilty in court, telling the judge he was a “decent man” who had been “kidnapped” by US authorities. A man in the public gallery who claimed he had been imprisoned by the Venezuelan regime called Maduro an “illegitimate” president as he stood to leave, prompting the ousted president to respond: “I am a kidnapped president. I am a prisoner of war.”
• Flores’ legal counsel said she had been injured during her capture in Venezuela, and required medical attention for a possible rib fracture. Bruises appeared on Flores’ face as she fronted court, while Maduro’s court-appointed lawyer raised “questions about the legality of his military abduction”. The case was adjourned to March 17, with pretrial filings expected to contest the legality of the capture.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth have briefed select US lawmakers on the Venezuela operation, in which questions were raised after Congress leaders weren’t given notice of the strikes. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said “so-called nation building” undermines US interests, noting that he “left the briefing feel that it would [happen] again”.

• Senior White House aide Stephen Miller has suggested the US could take Greenland without contest, while questioning Denmark’s basis for its control of the territory. Trump escalated his rhetoric pushing for the control of Greenland after the Venezuela operation, building on remarks that have continued since his return to the White House. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen dismissed suggestions the territory could be claimed overnight, as Trump’s comments were criticised by European leaders.

• Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president, while opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has promised to transform the nation into the “energy hub of the Americas” should she gain power. Machado was confident of winning a free and fair democratic election, whenever that may occur, with her call for investment in natural resources reflecting the wishes of Trump, who has claimed she “doesn’t have the support or the respect” to govern Venezuela.

Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores made their first appearance in a New York court where they pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges. We’ll bring you updates from the courtroom, key legal developments, and reactions from Washington and around the world.

Here is a recap of key points:

• Maduro was shackled at the ankles as he appeared before the court about 4am this morning. He pleaded not guilty to the numerous charges, telling the judge: “I am innocent, I am not guilty. I am a decent man”.
• “I’m the president of the republic of Venezuela ... I am here kidnapped,” he said before District Judge Alvin Hellerstein cut him off.
• As Maduro stood to leave, a man in the audience called him an “illegitimate” president.
• As deputy US marshals led Maduro from the courtroom, the deposed leader looked directly at the man, 33-year-old Pedro Rojas who later said he had been imprisoned by the Venezuelan regime, and shot back: “I am a kidnapped president. I am a prisoner of war.”
• Flores also pleaded not guilty. Her counsel told the court she was injured during her capture in Venezuela and required medical attention for a possible rib fracture. She also appeared to have bruising to her face when she fronted court.
• Maduro’s court-appointed lawyer told the judge there were “questions about the legality of his military abduction” and that there would be “voluminous” pretrial filings to address those legal challenges. The case was adjourned to March 17.
• Maduro and Flores were taken to the US on Saturday night following their capture in an audacious military campaign by US forces that had been months in the planning.
• The dramatic capture has emboldened US President Donald Trump who implied last night that he could take military action in Colombia and Greenland, and told Mexico to get its “act together”.
• The United Nations this morning condemned the US strike, saying it was concerned the US had not respected the rule of international law – and the precedent it could set.
• A briefing on the Trump administration’s plans for the future of Venezuela is expected to be given to the US Congress later today.
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has joined other leaders in telling Donald Trump to drop his attempt to gain control of Greenland.
• Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister Delcy Rodríguez has been formally sworn in as the country’s interim president.
• The Swiss government has frozen any assets held in Switzerland by Maduro and those close to him.

Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores made their first appearance in a New York court where they pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges. We’ll bring you updates from the courtroom, key legal developments, and reactions from Washington and around the world.

Here is a recap of key points:

• Maduro was shackled at the ankles as he appeared before the court about 4am on Tuesday (AEDT). He pleaded not guilty to the numerous charges, telling the judge: “I am innocent, I am not guilty. I am a decent man”.
• “I’m the president of the republic of Venezuela ... I am here kidnapped ... ,” he said before District Judge Alvin Hellerstein cut him off.
• As Maduro stood to leave, a man in the audience called him an “illegitimate” president.
• As deputy US marshals led Maduro from the courtroom, the deposed leader looked directly at the man, 33-year-old Pedro Rojas who later said he had been imprisoned by the Venezuelan regime, and shot back: “I am a kidnapped president. I am a prisoner of war.”
• Flores also pleaded not guilty. Her counsel told the court she was injured during her capture in Venezuela and required medical attention for a possible rib fracture.
• Maduro’s court-appointed lawyer told the judge there were “questions about the legality of his military abduction” and that there would be “voluminous” pretrial filings to address those legal challenges. The case was adjourned to March 17.
• Maduro and Flores were taken to the US on Saturday night following their capture in an audacious military campaign by US forces that had been months in the planning.
• The dramatic capture has emboldened US President Donald Trump who implied last night that he could take military action in Colombia and Greenland, and told Mexico to get its “act together”.
• The United Nations this morning condemned the US strike, saying it was concerned the US had not respected the rule of international law – and the precedent it could set.

Denmark was worried about US intentions towards Greenland even before Donald Trump sent his troops and bombers into Venezuela over the weekend, but now the Danes are truly alarmed – and so they should be.

Even if its vast island territory isn’t the next item on the US president’s acquisition list (which surely features Colombia), he seems determined to take it before leaving office.

Trump’s escalating rhetoric has forced the Danes to take the matter increasingly seriously.

Danish officials have summoned the US ambassador repeatedly to complain and in December, a Danish intelligence agency for the first time described the United States as a potential security risk.

Read more here.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has heaped praise on the Trump administration’s strikes that captured Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, days after the US president declined to back Machado as a future leader of the South American nation.

Machado, who sparked White House anger after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in October, said the American strikes on Venezuela represented a “huge step for humanity” and would be remembered as the day that “justice defeated a tyranny”.

Machado dedicated the Nobel Peace Prize in part to Trump, saying she “believed he deserved it”, adding that he hasn’t spoken to the US president since the prize was awarded last year.

“I do want to say on behalf of the Venezuelan people, how grateful we are for the courageous vision, the historical actions taken against this narco terrorist regime, and dismantling this structure and bringing Maduro to justice,” Machado told Fox News.

Machado was in hiding in Venezuela for more than 16 months amid fears for her safety under the Maduro regime, before making a rare public appearance in Norway last month.

Trump resisted suggestions Machado could lead Venezuela following the removal of Maduro in the hours after the strikes, saying she “doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country”.

Cilia Flores, the wife of ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, appeared to have bruising to her face when she fronted a New York court alongside her husband early this morning.

Lawyer Mark Donnelly told the court Maduro’s wife suffered “significant injuries” during the arrest by an elite US military unit, including bruised or broken ribs.

In court, she appeared to have a bruise on her forehead, Bloomberg reported.

Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores made their first appearance in a New York court where they pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges. We’ll bring you updates from the courtroom, key legal developments, and reactions from Washington and around the world.

Here is a recap of key points:

• Maduro was shackled at the ankles as he appeared before the court about 4am this morning. He pleaded not guilty to the numerous charges, telling the judge: “I am innocent, I am not guilty. I am a decent man”.
• “I’m the president of the republic of Venezuela ... I am here kidnapped,” he said before District Judge Alvin Hellerstein cut him off.
• As Maduro stood to leave, a man in the audience called him an “illegitimate” president.
• As deputy US marshals led Maduro from the courtroom, the deposed leader looked directly at the man, 33-year-old Pedro Rojas who later said he had been imprisoned by the Venezuelan regime, and shot back: “I am a kidnapped president. I am a prisoner of war.”
• Flores also pleaded not guilty. Her counsel told the court she was injured during her capture in Venezuela and required medical attention for a possible rib fracture. She also appeared to have bruising to her face when she fronted court.
• Maduro’s court-appointed lawyer told the judge there were “questions about the legality of his military abduction” and that there would be “voluminous” pretrial filings to address those legal challenges. The case was adjourned to March 17.
• Maduro and Flores were taken to the US on Saturday night following their capture in an audacious military campaign by US forces that had been months in the planning.
• The dramatic capture has emboldened US President Donald Trump who implied last night that he could take military action in Colombia and Greenland, and told Mexico to get its “act together”.
• The United Nations this morning condemned the US strike, saying it was concerned the US had not respected the rule of international law – and the precedent it could set.
• A briefing on the Trump administration’s plans for the future of Venezuela is expected to be given to the US Congress later today.
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has joined other leaders in telling Donald Trump to drop his attempt to gain control of Greenland.
• Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister Delcy Rodríguez has been formally sworn in as the country’s interim president.
• The Swiss government has frozen any assets held in Switzerland by Maduro and those close to him.