Zelensky suggests Trump should arrest 'dictator' Putin after capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro - as Ukrainian president says 'the US knows what to do next'
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with European national security advisors on Saturday, Zelenskywas asked about Donald Trumps' military action against Venezuela.
By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER
Published: 21:12 GMT, 3 January 2026 | Updated: 21:20 GMT, 3 January 2026
Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested Vladimir Putin should now be detained - after the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of the country in an extraordinary military operation.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with European national security advisors on Saturday, the Ukrainian president was asked about Donald Trumps' military action against Venezuela.
'How should I react to this? What can I say?', Zelensky said with a wry smile.
'If it's possible to deal with dictators this way, then the US knows what to do next', he added, insinuating that Trump should deal with Russia's Putin in a similar way for his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president's remarks come as the Venezuelan leader and his wife were flown out the country this morning and have been indicted in the United States on drugs and weapons charges.
The indictment of President Maduro and his wife in the Southern District of New York was confirmed by US Attorney General Pam Bondi this afternoon.
She said Maduro had been charged with: 'Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States'.
'They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,' Bondi added. It is not clear what charges Maduro's wife is facing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy has called for the removal of Vladimir Putin after the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
Zelensky insinuated that Putin (pictured) should be dealt with in the same way as Maduro
Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026
Trump later shared a shocking photo of Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima on social media, showing the captured Venezuelan leader wearing a black blindfold and a grey sweatshirt.
Trump released a statement earlier today saying the US had 'successfully' carried out a military strike after several explosions rocked in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.
Zelensky's comments also come as national security advisers from Europe visited Kyiv on Saturday to discuss security guarantees and economic support as a US-led diplomatic push to end the nearly four-year-old war in Ukraine intensifies.