Maduro from prison: “I am fine… We are fighters”

On Saturday, the American authorities urged their citizens to leave Venezuela “immediately,” considering that the security situation there was “unstable,” while President Nicolas Maduro announced from his prison in New York a week after his arrest that he was “fine.”
Maduro’s son quoted him in a video published by Venezuela’s ruling party on Saturday as saying: “We are fine. We are fighters.”

Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, have been detained in the federal prison in Brooklyn since they appeared before a US court on Monday, where they pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, including drug trafficking, awaiting the next hearing on March 17.

Maduro was arrested in a US Special Forces operation that was accompanied by air strikes on Caracas, killing 100 people, according to Venezuelan authorities.

About a thousand Maduro supporters demonstrated in the streets of Caracas on Saturday, carrying banners reading, “We want them back,” and chanting, “Maduro and Celia are our family.”

The demonstration on Saturday coincided with the anniversary of Maduro’s inauguration for a third term, following the 2024 elections, which the opposition denounced as fraudulent.

State television broadcast the visit of acting President Delcy Rodriguez to an agricultural fair in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, where a small demonstration in support of Maduro was also held. “We will not rest for a moment until the president returns,” Rodriguez said. “We will save him, of course we will.”

“close communication”

Despite Maduro’s arrest, the administration of US President Donald Trump left the door open to the possibility of cooperation with the transitional authorities that took power after him. The two sides began discussions to resume diplomatic relations that were severed in 2019 during Trump’s first term.

Trump confirmed Washington’s interest in exploiting Venezuelan oil after the overthrow of Maduro. He signed an executive order to protect funds from Venezuelan oil sales.

Venezuela announced on Friday that it had begun discussions with American diplomats. For its part, Washington confirmed that American diplomats visited Caracas to discuss the issue of reopening the embassy.

A US State Department official said on Saturday that they left Caracas on Friday “as scheduled.” He added, “The Trump administration remains in close contact with the transitional authorities.”

Trump announced on Friday that he had canceled a second wave of attacks on Venezuela after the new leadership in Caracas announced its intention to cooperate with Washington.