PANews reported on January 3 that US President Trump stated that the US had successfully carried out strikes against Venezuela, capturing Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife and removing them from Venezuela.

Maduro had previously supported the launch of the cryptocurrency "Petro" as the country's international unit of account and a benchmark for domestic wages and the pricing of goods and services, with an issuance of 100 million coins. Its purpose was to counter the economic and financial blockade imposed by the United States.