Following a strategy of maximum pressure since January 2025, the United States intervened militarily in January 2026, captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and arraigned them in New York on drug trafficking charges. After their capture, Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as President. Venezuela's constitution provides for elections when the president is incapacitated, although the deadline by which elections are required to take place is not clear. Trump's message that 'American dominance in the western hemisphere will never be questioned again' –directed in particular towards foreign actors in Venezuela such as China – stressed the US claim that Latin America falls under the US sphere of influence, and recalls the times during the Cold War when Latin America was referred to as America's backyard. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP Read more