On January 6, at the VeZha Analytics Center, financial and economic expert Oleh Pendzin discussed the high-profile arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in the United States on charges of drug trafficking and weapons possession.
Pendzin noted that Maduro’s arrest shifts perceptions of the United States as a guarantor of international law. The US has declared its intent to maintain strict control over its hemisphere, affecting the Ukraine-Russia negotiation process. Pendzin stressed that such US actions may weaken NATO and EU unity and complicate Western support for Ukraine.
Other issues raised included US statements about Greenland, the prospects for a new European security architecture without US leadership, Europe’s limited military capabilities, and the reluctance of European states to act independently. The discussion also addressed domestic US politics, Donald Trump’s electoral rhetoric, and US economic interests in Venezuela.
The analytical conversation concluded that Maduro’s arrest has undermined Ukraine’s negotiating position by reducing the US’s role as a moderating force. European states are being pushed to increase security coordination, while Ukraine remains vulnerable to Russia’s superior mobilization capacity. Experts recommend continued monitoring of these developments with the channel’s analytics studio.
