Former Vice President Elías Jaua warns that Venezuela has lost its sovereignty after U.S. intervention

In an extensive interview, former vice president Elías Jaua criticized the January 3 U.S. special-forces action that removed Nicolás Maduro, labeling it a “cowardly kidnapping” that ended Venezuela’s independence. He accused the interim administration of Delcy Rodríguez of being a U.S.-chosen negotiating team and warned that the country’s oil earnings are now managed by the U.S. Treasury, constituting an occupation. Jaua highlighted growing dissent among Chavista veterans, citing Francisco Arias Cárdenas’s calls for direct talks with opposition leader María Corina Machado.

Through his Center for Studies on Socialist Democracy, he proposes a three-point national pact: restore sovereign decision-making, regain full control of national revenues, and ensure autonomous foreign policy. He also stressed the need for inclusive, multi-party democracy and warned that without a genuine political agreement, Venezuela will remain under foreign tutelage.