Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on Saturday that Nicolas Maduro is "the only president" of the South American nation, reported Xinhua.

Rodriguez made the statement during a live speech on a state-run television station Saturday afternoon, adding that Venezuela will never become a colony of any country.

Accompanied by the ministers of the interior, foreign affairs and other officials, the vice president demanded that the United States release Maduro and his wife, and urged the Venezuelan people to remain calm, face the challenges together and defend national sovereignty.

Noting that the attack on Venezuela may happen in any other country in the region in the future, Rodriguez said Venezuela is ready to defend its natural resources and will never become a colony of any country or a slave of any empire.

The United States launched a large-scale military operation against Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday, seizing Maduro and his wife.

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed at a press conference Saturday morning that Rodriguez had been sworn in as president of Venezuela, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio "just had a conversation" with her.

"She's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again," Trump claimed while speaking to reporters.

The international community is deeply shocked by the U.S. raid on Maduro, strongly condemning the blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.

Captured Maduro, wife arrive in New York by plane

A plane carrying Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured in a large-scale U.S. military strike on Venezuela early Saturday morning, has arrived at a New York military base, reported Xinhua, quoting local media.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has demanded the "immediate release" of the couple at a session of the National Defense Council broadcast by a state television channel. Maduro is "the only president" of Venezuela, she said.

The latest U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its capture of Maduro have drawn worldwide condemnation and concern.

The UN Security Council announced Saturday that it will hold an emergency meeting on Monday on the U.S. operation against Venezuela.