MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump is unlikely to pursue serious intervention in Venezuela and the Middle East, as he aims to avoid repeating the costly mistakes made by previous administrations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Andrey Sidorov, PhD in history and associate professor at the Department of History at Lomonosov Moscow State University, explained during a roundtable discussion on US policy in 2026 that, contrary to expectations, the Trump administration has shown restraint.
He noted, "I was even surprised by the Trump administration. It doesn't want to intervene in Venezuela, to get involved with both feet and hands, to take full responsibility. The regime hasn't been changed, apparently; Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been seized and he will be put on trial. But, strictly speaking, the leadership that was there remains. Trump doesn't intend to repeat the mistakes the US made in Afghanistan or Iraq, and this is a new development." Sidorov added that Trump’s approach suggests a strategic shift away from direct military involvement in these regions.
Dmitry Rosental, Director of the Institute of Latin America at the Russian Academy of Sciences, highlighted the complex aftermath of the US military operations in Venezuela. "It's still completely unclear what agreements exist between the US and Venezuela today, and how each side interprets them. At the very least, each side is trying to save face, so political relations between Washington and Caracas remain very intricate and require careful monitoring," he said.
Rosental also pointed out that while Maduro has managed to consolidate control over the Venezuelan elite, authorized President Delcy Rodr·guez needs broad political support to strengthen her position. He suggested she might consider inviting moderate opposition figures into the government to foster stability. "The US military intervention in Venezuela has, of course, greatly polarized Latin America. At the very least, it has intensified existing divisions," he observed.
In early January, the US launched airstrikes targeting civilian and military sites in Venezuela. President Trump confirmed that these strikes aimed to capture and remove Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from power. Subsequently, on January 5, Maduro and Flores appeared in federal court in the Southern District of New York, where they were charged with drug trafficking. Both pleaded not guilty. Meanwhile, Rodr·guez, who previously served as Maduro's vice president, is now acting as the de facto head of state in Venezuela amid these developments.