Venezuela-Trump live: Maduro speaks in new video as he arrives in New York ahead of court appearance

North Korea has denounced the US strikes on Venezuela as “the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty”.

“The incident is another example that clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the United States,” the state new agency reported said, citing a spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry.

The statement came after North Korea launched ballistic missiles earlier on Sunday, the day the leader of South Korea begins a state visit to China, Pyongyang’s chief ally.

Pyongyang said the current situation in Venezuela “caused a catastrophic consequence to ensuring the identity of the regional and international relations structure.”

Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro wished onlookers a “Happy New Year” as he arrived in the US after being captured.

In a video shared on Saturday night by the White House, Maduro said “Happy New Year” as he was led down a hallway by law enforcement in handcuffs.

The UK Government is “not entirely clear” on what Donald Trump meant when he said the US would run Venezuela, Darren Jones said.

It was put to the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that the action sounded like colonialism. Asked whether Britain is in favour of colonialism, he told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “We’re not in favour of colonialism and we’re not entirely clear yet what President Trump meant by those comments.”

He added: “It’s for the Americans now and for Venezuela to set out what happens in the coming days.”

It is not for a “third country” to decide the future of Venezuela’s government, Mr Jones said.

He also declined to say whether US action broke international law, insisting the matter is for “international courts”.

He said: “It’s for the Americans to set out the legal basis for their operations.

“I don’t think the Americans have done that yet. I’m sure they will do in due course.”

US general Dan Caine has detailed how the military spent months learning everything about Maduro to ensure his successful capture.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said US forces rehearsed Operation “Absolute Resolve” for months.

He said they learnt everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

Caine said the mission was “meticulously planned” and was “the culmination of months of planning and rehearsals.”

“We think we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again, not to get it right, but to ensure that we cannot get it wrong. Our jobs are to integrate combat power so when the order comes, we can deliver overwhelming force at the time and the place of our choosing against any foe anywhere in the world,” he said.

In the hours after Maduro’s capture, some people took to the streets to protest the US operation, while others celebrated it.

At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Melïndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

“Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolas Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”

In other parts of the city, the streets were empty hours after the attack.

“How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared. Many families couldn’t sleep.”

In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

Similar scenes were seen in other countries including Colombia and Argentina.

The Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

Darren Jones, the cabinet office minister and a close ally of Starmer, has refused to say if he thinks Trump’s capture of Maduro was legal.

He told Sky News it was “for international courts to make judgements on international law” and it was “for the Americans” to set out the legal basis for their action.

He also said it was important that the Venezuelan people decide their next President.

In New York, the UN Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, is planning to hold a meeting on US operations in Venezuela on Monday morning.

That was according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the meeting which has not yet been made public.

It comes amid mass criticism of the operation from around the world.

The flagrant actions of the United States will incentivise power grabs by autocrats the world over – and Cuba may be the next country to be transformed by America’s exploding sphere of influence, says Mary Dejevsky:

There have been vast amounts of speculation that oil was a key factor in Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela.

The South American country has the world’s largest estimated oil reserves.

Speaking on Saturday, the US president said: “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”