US allies, foes alarmed by toppling of Venezuela's Maduro

By Stuart WILLIAMS
Paris, France (AFP) Jan 4, 2026

The US military operation that led to the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday sparked international alarm, with allies and foes of Washington and Caracas expressing disquiet.

President Donald Trump said that the United States would "run" Venezuela and tap its huge oil reserves, and posted a picture of Maduro in custody on a US naval ship wearing a blindfold and handcuffs.

Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to New York City, where they face drug-trafficking and weapons charges.

They were seized by US special forces during a pre-dawn attack in which air strikes pounded sites in and around the Venezuelan capital Caracas late on Saturday.

Countries such as China, Russia, and Iran, which have longstanding ties with Maduro's government, were quick to condemn the operation but their alarm was also shared by Washington's allies including France and the EU.

Here are the main reactions:

- China -

China made calls on Sunday for Maduro to be "immediately released" after saying it "strongly condemns" the US operation in Venezuela.

China's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that the US is in "clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter".

- Russia -

Russia demanded the US leadership "reconsider its position and release the legally elected president of the sovereign country and his wife".

- Iran -

Iran, which Trump bombed last year, said it "strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity".

- Mexico -

Mexico, which Trump has also threatened with military force over drug trafficking, strongly condemned the US military action in Venezuela, saying it "seriously jeopardises regional stability".

- Colombia -

Colombian President Gustavo Petro -- whose country neighbours Venezuela -- called the US action an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.

- Brazil -

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva slammed the US attacks as a "serious affront" to Venezuela's sovereignty.

- Cuba -

Cuba, a strong ally of Venezuela, denounced "state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people".

- Spain -

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the intervention "violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and militarism".

- France -

France said the US operation undermined international law, and no solution to Venezuela's crisis can be imposed externally.

President Emmanuel Macron called for 2004 presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to lead a political transition.

- Germany -

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Maduro had "led his country to ruin", but called the US action legally "complex".

- EU -

The EU more generally expressed concern at the developments and urged respect for international law, even as it noted that Maduro "lacks legitimacy".

EU candidate country North Macedonia, along with fellow Balkan nations Albania and Kosovo, backed Washington, however.

"We stand with the United States and the Venezuelan people for freedom and democracy," North Macedonia FM Timco Mucunski said on X.

- Britain -

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will discuss the "evolving situation" in Venezuela with US counterparts while noting Britain will "shed no tears" about the demise of Maduro's "regime".

- Italy -

In a rare expression of support for the US operation by a major European country, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- a Trump ally -- argued the US military action in Venezuela was "legitimate" and "defensive".

- Israel -

Israel also hailed the operation, saying Washington acted as the "leader of the free world".

- Ukraine -

Ukraine -- dependent on US support in its war against invading Russia -- did not address the legality of a big country like America using military force against a much smaller one like Venezuela.

Foreign minister Andriy Sybiga instead focused on Maduro's lack of legitimacy and the Venezuelan government's repression, while backing "democracy, human rights, and the interests of Venezuelans".

- South Africa -

South Africa, which Trump accuses of alleged discrimination -- and even "genocide" -- of minority white Afrikaners, said: "Unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations."

- UN -

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "deeply alarmed" by the US strikes, with his spokesman quoting him as saying it could "constitute a dangerous precedent".

- Greece -

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on X that Maduro "presided over a brutal and repressive dictatorship that brought about unimaginable suffering on the Venezuelan people."

"The end of his regime offers new hope for the country. This is not the time to comment on the legality of the recent actions," he said.

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