The President of the United states of America, Donald Trump has announced that US forces have captured the president of Venezuela and his wife and flown them out of the country.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said  the US carried out a large scale strike on the capital city of Caracas.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday said it was deeply concerned and condemned an “act of armed aggression” against Venezuela committed by the United States.

“In the current situation, it is important… to prevent further escalation and to focus on finding a way out of the situation through dialogue,” the ministry said in a statement.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome and its diplomatic representation in Caracas were monitoring any developments with particular attention to the Italian community in the country.

Tajani said in a post on X that Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was being kept constantly informed and that the foreign ministry’s crisis unit was operational.

Italy’s ambassador in Venezuela said on Saturday on Italy’s State TV Rai that around 160,000 Italians currently live in the country, most of them with dual passports, as well as some who are there for reasons of work and tourism.

Spain called for de-escalation, moderation and respect for international law in Venezuela, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

It also offered itself as a negotiator to help find a peaceful solution in Venezuela.

Germany’s foreign ministry on Saturday said it was watching the situation in Venezuela with great concern and a crisis team was due to meet later for further discussion.

A written communication seen by Reuters said the ministry was in close contact with the embassy in Caracas and a crisis team would meet later on Saturday.

Credit: Reuters News Agency