Could Colombia and Greenland Be Next? Trump’s Actions in Venezuela Spark International Concern

Delcy Rodríguez formally assumed the role of Venezuela’s acting president late Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a blunt public warning directed at her. Speaking earlier aboard Air Force One, Trump said Rodríguez must grant the United States “total access” to Venezuela or face consequences he described as “probably worse than Maduro’s.” He stressed that Washington expects unrestricted access to Venezuelan resources, particularly oil, which he said would be necessary to help “rebuild” the country. Trump repeated remarks he had previously made to The Atlantic, adding that Maduro had “given up immediately,” while Rodríguez would face a harsher outcome if she failed to “do the right thing,” without specifying what actions he was demanding.

According to Venezuela’s presidential office, Rodríguez took office Sunday night. Official photographs published online show her presiding over her first meeting of the Council of Ministers shortly after assuming power. Her appointment comes a day after Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces during a military operation and transferred to American custody.

Soon after being sworn in, Rodríguez released a public message calling for calm, dialogue and cooperation. In a statement posted on Instagram, she addressed the international community and the United States directly, saying Venezuela reaffirmed its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence. She said the country sought to live free of external threats and favored respectful international cooperation, arguing that global peace begins with stability inside each nation. Rodríguez said Caracas wanted balanced and respectful relations with Washington and other regional partners, based on sovereignty, equality and non-interference, principles she described as central to Venezuelan diplomacy.

She also extended an explicit invitation to the U.S. government to work with her administration on a cooperative agenda aimed at shared development within the framework of international law. Addressing Trump by name, Rodríguez said the peoples of Venezuela, the United States and the wider region deserved peace and dialogue, not war. She added that this message had also been central to Maduro’s own stance, signaling continuity and personal loyalty to the detained former leader.

Meanwhile, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, remain in U.S. detention and are expected to appear before a federal court in the Southern District of New York on Monday at noon local time. This will be their first court appearance following Saturday’s operation. They face charges linked to alleged narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracies.

Tensions widened further as Trump turned his rhetoric toward other countries in the region. During a brief exchange with reporters, he described Colombia as being “run by a sick man” and suggested its leadership would not last. When asked whether that implied possible U.S. action, Trump replied, “Sounds good to me,” a comment that immediately sparked speculation and concern, given Colombia’s long-standing role as a close U.S. ally on security, counter-narcotics and economic cooperation.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded by urging Latin American countries to unite in the face of what he described as U.S. aggression. In a lengthy post on X, Petro said the United States had become the first country to bomb a South American capital, calling it a historical wound that would not easily heal. He warned against revenge, arguing that vendettas destroy societies rather than build true revolutions, but insisted that regional unity was essential to prevent Latin America from being treated as subordinate. Petro called for closer regional cooperation, criticized existing mechanisms such as CELAC, and urged presidents to come together in response to what he described as a defining moment for the continent.

Trump also commented on Cuba, saying that a Venezuela-style operation would be unnecessary there because the country was already on the brink of economic collapse. He claimed Havana had relied heavily on Venezuelan oil and now lacked the income to sustain itself.

At the same time, Trump reignited controversy in Europe by repeating his claim that the United States needs Greenland for national security reasons. Speaking aboard Air Force One, he said the island was strategically vital due to the growing presence of Russian and Chinese vessels in the Arctic, arguing that Denmark was unable to guarantee its security alone. Trump asserted that Europe supported the idea, saying the European Union “needs us to have it.”

His remarks followed the U.S. operation in Venezuela and echoed previous statements in which he has argued that Greenland’s strategic location and reserves of critical minerals make it essential for American defense interests. Greenland and Denmark have consistently rejected any notion of annexation.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reacted sharply, calling on Trump to stop making threats. She said it made no sense to suggest the U.S. had any right to take over Greenland and stressed that neither Greenland nor Denmark was for sale. Denmark’s ambassador to Washington, Jesper Møller Sørensen, also pushed back, insisting on full respect for Danish territorial integrity and underlining that Denmark and the U.S. remain close allies working together on Arctic security. He noted that Denmark had significantly strengthened its Arctic defense posture in 2025.

Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, described a controversial social media post by Katie Miller, wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff, as disrespectful after she shared an image of Greenland painted in U.S. flag colors with the caption “SOON.” Nielsen said Greenland’s future was not determined by social media, stressing that the territory is a democratic society whose position is grounded in international law.

Trump’s renewed push on Greenland has further strained relations, particularly after he appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland in December. With Washington pressing its strategic claims and Denmark responding forcefully, the issue has emerged as a new source of tension between long-standing NATO partners, unfolding alongside escalating crises in Latin America.