The world reacts to the US attack on Venezuela. The UN is concerned, China condemns and Argentina supports

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over the US operation against Venezuela in which the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, was captured. China condemned the US action, and Moscow demanded the release of Maduro and his wife. Support for the US actions was expressed by, among others: Argentina and Israel.

Guterres called the American action carried out on Saturday morning a “dangerous precedent.” “The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – for international law, including the Charter of the United Nations,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Several countries, including Colombia, South Africa and Russia, have called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the events in Venezuela.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Washington to “release the legally elected president of a sovereign country and his wife,” Reuters reported, citing Russian state sources. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Minister denied that Maduro's deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, was in his country. The fact that it is in Russia was previously reported by Reuters.

“The authorities in Beijing are deeply shocked”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the authorities in Beijing were “deeply shocked and strongly condemn the use of force by the United States against a sovereign state and the use of force against the country's president.” The US actions were called “hegemonic behavior (…) that seriously violates international law.”

Representatives of, among others, expressed their opinion in a similar tone: Belarus, Brazil, Chile, France, Iran and Mexico.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico emphasized that the American action in Venezuela is “further proof of the breakdown of world order after World War II.” In a post on Facebook, the head of the Slovak government emphasized that “international law does not apply, military force is used without a mandate from the UN Security Council, and anyone who is big and strong does whatever they want to push their interests.”

“As the prime minister of a small country, I must strongly condemn such violations of international law,” Fico said.

Milei: AThe US action means the return of freedom for the people of Venezuela

The American operation was supported by, among others, leaders of Argentina, Ecuador and Israel. Argentine President Javier Milei wrote that the US action means the return of “freedom for the people of Venezuela.”

“The time has passed for a timid approach to this issue,” Milei emphasized on X.

The president of Ecuador, Gabriel Noboa, said that the US operation is “the beginning of the end of narcocriminals” whose “structures will ultimately collapse across the continent.”

“Corino Machado, Edmundo Gonzalez and the entire Venezuelan people: it's time to take back your country. You have an ally in Ecuador,” Noboa emphasized, addressing the leaders of the Venezuelan opposition, including Machado – last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Israeli authorities welcomed the news of the dictator's overthrow

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar emphasized that the authorities of his country “welcomed with joy the news of the overthrow of the dictator who headed a drug and terrorist network.” He also expressed hope for the return of democracy and friendly relations between Venezuela and other countries in the world.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha emphasized that his country “has consistently defended the right of nations to live in freedom, without dictatorship, oppression and human rights violations. The Maduro regime has violated all these principles in every respect.” He also added that the authorities in Kiev support solutions that are consistent with the principles of international law.

Leaders of many countries, including countries in the region such as Uruguay, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago, appealed for calm and refraining from bloodshed. The majority of European leaders called for respecting international law and resolving the conflict through dialogue.

Leyen: We support the Venezuelan people and their peaceful and democratic transition

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized that the EU was “following the situation in Venezuela very closely.”

“We support the Venezuelan people and their peaceful and democratic transition. Any solution must be consistent with international law and the United Nations Charter,” von der Leyen wrote.

The head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, announced that she had talked to US Secretary of State Mark Rubio and the EU ambassador in Caracas. She emphasized that “the Maduro regime had no public legitimacy to rule”; at the same time, it stipulated that the change of power should take place peacefully and with respect for the provisions of the UN Charter.

A similar position was taken by Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Lokke Rasmussen, and the head of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, Espen Barth Eide, on the one hand, condemned the US action as “contrary to international law”, and on the other, emphasized that Maduro “no longer had the democratic legitimacy to govern the country, and his authoritarian regime is responsible for widespread violations of human rights in Venezuela.”

The Italian government stressed that “external military action is not the path to follow to put an end to totalitarian regimes.” At the same time, the cabinet of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni considered it justified to intervene defensively against – as it was noted – “hybrid attacks targeting security, as in this case from state entities that support drug trafficking.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that he wanted to first talk about the events in Venezuela with US President Donald Trump, and the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, offered his country's mediation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that the Polish services “are carefully analyzing the development of events after the attacks by US forces in the capital of Venezuela.” I also asked the Department of Military Foreign Affairs and representatives of our military attachates in North and South American countries for current analyses, wrote the head of the Ministry of National Defense on the X platform.

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