The US military operation that led to the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, was preceded by weeks of internal debate and failed diplomacy, according to a New York Times investigation. The report outlines how Washington moved from pressure and negotiation to force, concluding that Maduro’s repeated rejection of US demands left the White House with few remaining options it was willing to pursue.

According to the Times, US officials delivered an ultimatum to Maduro in late December, urging him to step down and accept exile in Türkiye. Maduro refused. Officials involved in the talks told the newspaper that the proposal was framed as a temporary solution designed to avoid bloodshed and preserve a transition framework. Instead, the rejection hardened views inside the Trump administration that diplomatic leverage had been exhausted.

“Mocking Us in Public”

The Times report emphasizes that tone and perception played a decisive role. In recent weeks, Maduro appeared publicly in what US officials interpreted as displays of indifference, including televised dances and lighthearted appearances. Several members of Trump’s national security team concluded that Maduro was “mocking” Washington’s threats and negotiating posture, according to officials cited by the newspaper.

That assessment, the report said, contributed directly to the decision to move ahead with the military option. By early January, the White House authorized an operation that US officials later described as a law-enforcement action rather than a conventional military strike. On Saturday night, US forces carried out a midnight raid in Caracas, detaining Maduro and Flores and flying them to New York to face charges linked to a 2020 indictment accusing Maduro of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Succession Planning and Energy Stakes

Behind the scenes, the Times reported, US officials had already begun planning for a post-Maduro scenario weeks before the raid. By late December, American and Venezuelan interlocutors involved in transition talks had coalesced around a potential interim successor: Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. US officials viewed Rodríguez as a pragmatic figure with experience overseeing Venezuela’s oil sector, a critical consideration given the country’s vast energy reserves.

One senior US official told the Times, “I’ve watched her career for a long time, so I have a sense of who she is and what she represents.” The official added, “I’m not claiming she’s a permanent solution to the country’s problems, but we think we can work with her at a much more professional level than we ever could with Maduro.”

According to participants in the talks, mediators reassured Washington that Rodríguez would protect future US energy investments and cooperate on stabilizing oil production, a sector that has collapsed over the past decade amid sanctions and mismanagement.

Conditional Engagement After the Raid

Despite Rodríguez’s public condemnation of the US operation, American officials cautioned against drawing early conclusions. A senior official told the Times it was “too early” to assess her long-term approach, noting that Washington remained cautiously optimistic about the possibility of engagement. At the same time, US officials made clear that relations with any interim government would depend on compliance with US conditions and respect for American interests.

They also signaled that the United States would reserve the right to take further military steps if those expectations were not met. Maduro, now 63, is expected to appear in court in New York next week. The operation has already triggered intense regional and international reactions, with questions raised about precedent, sovereignty, and the future of Venezuela’s political order.