Will US ever order Putin's capture like Maduro? Trump’s ‘very disappointed’ reply

US President Donald Trump has dismissed suggestions that Washington could launch a bold operation against Russian President Vladimir Putin, similar to the recent US raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Speaking to reporters, Trump said such a move was “not necessary,” even as he expressed deep frustration over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Reporter: Would you ever order a mission to capture Vladimir Putin?

Trump: Well, I don’t think that’s going to be necessary. pic.twitter.com/gcZwzJm3s0

— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 9, 2026

Trump’s remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made cryptic comments following Maduro’s arrest, implying that Putin could be next.

“If this is how a dictator must be treated, then the United States knows what to do next,” Zelensky had said. Trump, however, rejected the notion of targeting the Russian leader, emphasizing that the US has “always had a great relationship” with Putin.

During a meeting with top US oil and gas executives, Trump lamented the human toll of the Ukraine war. “Last month, they lost 31,000 people, many of them Russian soldiers. The Russian economy is doing poorly. I think we are going to end up getting it settled. I wish we could have done it quicker because a lot of people are dying, mostly soldiers,” he said. Trump added that he had expected resolving the conflict to be easier, noting he had previously “settled eight wars.”

The US operation in Venezuela unfolded just after midnight in Caracas, when elite Delta Force troops stormed Maduro’s residence following airstrikes by US jets. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into custody and flown to a US military base before being transported to New York aboard an amphibious assault ship. Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has since assumed the presidency, denouncing the US action as “criminal and illegitimate.”

Trump has tied the post-Maduro transition to Venezuela’s oil wealth, promising US energy companies “total security” under a framework in which they would deal directly with Washington. He claimed that companies are prepared to invest up to $100 billion and announced plans to sell tens of millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude, with proceeds under US discretion.