Will US capture Russian President Vladimir Putin like Nicolas Maduro? Trump responds

US President Donald Trump has downplayed the suggestions that American forces could carry out a Venezuela-style operation in Russia and capture President Vladimir Putin.

During an interaction with reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump was asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s remarks suggesting that Washington deal with Putin the same way it dealt with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

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In response, Trump said while he was “very disappointed” with Putin, a Maduro-like capture of the Russian leader is “not necessary”.

Last week, US forces launched a dramatic military operation in Venezuela, capturing president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their Caracas safe house.

The two were subsequently flown to the US where they are facing multiple charges, including drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism.

Reacting to the US operation, Zelenskyy had said that “if this is how dictators can be dealt with, then the United States knows what to do next” – a remark seen by many as an apparent reference to Putin.

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The Russian President is currently facing an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court at The Hague over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the two countries have been locked in a war since then.

Trump has made efforts to stop the war but his efforts have so far failed to deliver the peace. While Trump ruled out the necessity to launch a Venezuela-like operation in Russia, he did express his frustration over not being able to end the Ukraine war.

“I think we’re going to have — and always had — a great relationship with him. I am very disappointed. I settled eight wars. I thought this would be in the middle of the pack or maybe one of the easier ones,” Trump said.