Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson said the US strike on Venezuela has once again shown Moscow that the West cannot be trusted. Speaking on the Glenn Diesen YouTube channel, he argued that Russia and China will now factor in that any agreements with Washington are, in his view, essentially worthless.

Johnson stated that the United States disregards international law and that, from his perspective, Russia and China have been reminded yet again that the West is not a reliable counterpart. He added that the US is not the kind of partner that deserves trust.

On 3 January, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington had carried out a strike on Venezuela. He later said that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores had been detained and taken out of the country.

That same day, media reported explosions in Caracas and claimed that the operation was conducted by members of the elite Delta Force unit. Subsequent reports stated that Maduro, after being seized by US forces, was brought under heavy guard to a court in New York.

The day before, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegset had declared that, following the abduction of the Venezuelan president, it was now the United States that would determine Venezuela’s future. He said that President Trump was setting the terms and that, ultimately, Trump alone would decide Washington’s next steps.