- France, Russia, China, EU insist Washington broke international law
- As explosions hit capital city, Caracas
Condemnation of breaking international law have continued to trail the United States (US) after its troops launched airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital and captured President Nicolás Maduro, and his wife on Saturday.
Leading the pack of countries that have expressed their anger over US operation are France, Spain, Brazil, Russia, China and the European Commission.
According to them, Donald Trump had broken international rules following the Saturday morning operation which came amid six months of escalating tensions between Washington and the South American country.
Already, there are heightened calls for the United Nations (UN) Security Council to urgently convene to discuss the matter.
However, reactions coming from South America was split with Argentina’s President, Javier Milei, an ally of Trump, posting on social media in the early hours thus: “Liberty advances! Long live Liberty!”
This is as the US Attorney General, Pam Bondi, maintained that the deposed Venezuelan leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, would face criminal charges in New York, with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, saying these would relate to the drug trade.
Giving an update on the development, President Trump said Maduro and Flores were taken to a ship after their kidnap by US forces.
He told reporters they will be taken to New York, even as Russia demanded their immediate release by the Americans.
Reacting to the development, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, said the action by the US sets a “dangerous precedent”.
The UN Spokesperson, Stéphan Dujarric said: “The Secretary General continues to emphasise the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN charter. He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.”
On his part, Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said the US actions “crossed an unacceptable line”, comparing them to “the darkest moments of [US] interference in Latin America and the Caribbean” – an apparent reference to the dozens of US military interventions in the region over the past two centuries.
In its reaction, China’s Foreign Ministry hit out at “hegemonic behaviour” by the US, saying it threatened peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the US against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country,” the statement said, adding: “We urge the US to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN charter and stop violating the sovereignty and security of other countries.”
Similarly, the European Union (EU) Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the Danish Foreign Minister said international law should be respected.
Also, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, posted on social media: “The military operation that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro violates the principle of not resorting to force that underpins international law. France reiterates that no lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside and that only sovereign people themselves can decide their future.”
Not left out in the torrent of criticisms, Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez said: “Spain did not recognise the Maduro regime. But neither will it recognise an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence.
“We call on all actors to think of the civilian population, to respect the United Nations Charter, and to articulate a fair and dialogued transition.”
Earlier on Saturday, Yolanda Díaz, one of Spain’s Deputy Prime Ministers, said the US had violated both the UN charter and international legality.
She added: “We roundly condemn this imperialist attack on Venezuela. The world is less safe and less free since Trump and the international hate movement began acting with impunity. We will always be on the side of international law and peace.”
However, the split in reactions coming in from South America was also confirmed as Ecuador’s President, Daniel Noboa, said “time was coming for all the narco-Chávista criminals”.
Not comfortable with the action, Brazil’s President, Lula da Silva, wrote: “Attacking countries, in blatant violation of international law, is the first step towards a world of violence, chaos and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism”.
Other leftwing leaders in the region, including Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum and Chile’s Gabriel Boric, have also joined Lula in denouncing the US intervention.
The Cuban President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, described the attacks as “state terrorism against the Venezuelan people”.
This is as Colombia mobilised its Armed Forces in the aftermath of US strikes on neighbouring Venezuela. President Petro said Colombia was concerned about a potential “massive influx” of refugees fleeing in the aftermath of the attacks.
For the Russian Foreign Ministry, it described the action as an “unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an independent state”.
As expected, condemnation outside South America was not unanimous. Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the US’s actions were “legitimate”, despite previously stating that “external military action is not the way to end totalitarian regimes”.
Dr Carlos Solar, a senior research fellow on Latin America for the Rusi thinktank, said it was unclear whether the attack would lead to regime change in Venezuela.
He said: “The regime doesn’t have Maduro, but the regime is proving to be alive. You have the vice-president, you have some other civilians who were part of the Maduro entourage.
“If you go back to when Hugo Chávez died, Maduro replaced him, and ‘Chávismo’ didn’t die. He just turned into Maduro and it was kept for another decade and a half. So Maduro will be gone, but we might have a new movement taking force in Venezuela which might succeed him, depending on what the US does next.”
Dr Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the Chatham House thinktank, said the attacks were not a surprise and were “almost inevitable” after the last six months had failed to lead to Maduro’s removal.
He said: “According to surveys, US citizens are opposed to the use of its military in Venezuela. And any strikes inside Venezuela now will probably force a vote in Congress under the War Powers Act.
“But assuming even if there is regime change – and it’s by no means clear even if it does happen that it will be democratic – the US’s military action will likely require sustained US engagement of some sort. Will the Trump White House have the stomach for that?” – With Agency reports
