On January 3 local time, Venezuelan Vice President Rodríguez delivered a statement regarding the U.S. military operation against Venezuela. She stated that the U.S. government had launched an unprecedented military aggression against Venezuela, an act that has left an extremely grave stain on the history of bilateral relations. During this military operation, President Maduro and his wife were captured. Rodríguez said that the Venezuelan side had previously warned that an invasion, cloaked in false pretexts and fabricated justifications, was underway, and that this plan had long been part of a predetermined strategy, with the sole objective of achieving regime change in Venezuela. The purpose of this regime change is to seize Venezuela’s energy, mineral, and natural resources. This is the true objective, and the international community and all nations must be clear about this. Rodríguez stated that Venezuela has formally convened a meeting of the National Defense Council, which has solemnly demanded the immediate release of Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife. Rodríguez said that Maduro is the only legitimate president of Venezuela, and the country will never become a colony of any other nation.