In December 2025, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s representative, met with the United States ambassador to the Vatican, Brian Birch, with the aim of convincing the U.S. administration to allow Nicolás Maduro, the head of Venezuela, to flee to Russia. According to the publication, Moscow was allegedly prepared to grant Maduro asylum in exchange for concessions in peace talks to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

According to materials from the publication, Cardinal Parolin, who previously served as the Vatican’s ambassador to Venezuela, tried to bargain with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to Pietro, Russia “is ready to provide Maduro asylum,” the U.S. “must merely endure.”

“Russia is ready to provide Maduro asylum,” the U.S. must “endure.”

– The Washington Post

Despite the Vatican’s statements, in the Trump administration they believed Maduro would not go anywhere. Sources claimed that Maduro repeatedly received offers to leave the country during U.S. military actions against ships that departed from Venezuelan ports, and that the U.S. suspected that these ships were transporting drugs.

“He did not agree to the deal. He was simply going to sit and watch as a crisis was created around him”

– A source close to the publication

Also according to sources, the U.S. president believed that Nicolás Maduro “had lost touch with reality” and, allegedly, reasoned that his conversation with Trump went well. He allegedly received a hint that his time had come to an end: “The president said you can take the easy road or the hard road,” – said a source.

“The president said you can take the easy road or the hard road”

– A source

In the Vatican, efforts were made to persuade the U.S. not to launch a military campaign against Venezuela. Parolin told Ambassador Birch that “Russia would back away from Venezuela if Ukraine is satisfied,” referring to concessions by the United States during peace talks to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

At the same time, U.S. intelligence and government officials continued to believe that Russia allegedly offered asylum not only to Maduro but also to other officials in his government. Yet assessments say Maduro is unlikely to travel to Russia, as that would limit his ability to use the gold that had been taken out of Venezuela earlier and to sell that gold.

U.S. Operation in Venezuela and Its Consequences

On the night of January 3, American forces struck the capital Caracas. The Venezuelan government proclaimed a state of emergency and deployed the Armed Forces. The government also said it would appeal to the United Nations and other international organizations to condemn and hold the U.S. government accountable for what happened.

According to neighboring Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, the U.S. attacked a number of military and other facilities in Venezuela, including the country’s parliament. The Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado urged Venezuelans to “take power into their own hands” and be ready “to carry out what will be announced through official channels.”

Later, Trump said that Venezuela and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and brought to the United States, where they were charged. Maduro is allegedly accused of crimes related to drug trafficking, cocaine smuggling, illegal possession of weapons, and explosives. The couple was brought to a federal detention center in Brooklyn, New York. In court, both denied the charges, and Maduro said he would remain the legitimate president of Venezuela and was a prisoner of war. The court scheduled the next hearing for March 17, 2026.

Vice President and acting president Delcy Rodríguez delivered a national address, stating that a “national government” is in place and that Maduro remains “the only president of Venezuela.” However, she later expressed willingness to cooperate with the United States. Trump confirmed that Rodríguez is cooperating with American officials, but warned: if the cooperation ends, the U.S. may launch a second military operation in the country. Earlier he had threatened Rodríguez that she would “pay a very high price – perhaps higher than Maduro” if she did not comply with Washington’s demands.

This development has become one of the most serious crisis scenarios among the Vatican, the United States, and Venezuela in recent years, with significant risks to regional security and diplomatic relations in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.