{"id":154017,"date":"2026-01-04T14:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=154017"},"modified":"2026-01-04T14:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T21:00:12","slug":"deeply-shocked-world-leaders-react-to-us-attack-on-venezuela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/01\/04\/deeply-shocked-world-leaders-react-to-us-attack-on-venezuela\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Deeply shocked\u2019: World leaders react to US attack on Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: BBC<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Leaders around the world have responded with a mix of condemnation and support to the US capture of Venezuela\u2019s President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a large-scale strike on Venezuela on Saturday, Maduro and his wife were captured by US forces and removed from the country. The pair have been indicted on drug charges in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an initial response, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government would shed no tears\u201d for the end of Maduro\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neighbouring Latin American countries condemned the actions, as did Venezuela\u2019s long-term allies, Russia and China. China said it was deeply shocked and strongly condemns\u201d the use of force against a sovereign country and its president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia accused the US of committing an act of armed aggression\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran, which is locked in its own dispute with Trump over his promise of intervention in its country, called the strikes a flagrant violation of the country\u2019s national sovereignty\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump said the US will run\u201d Venezuela until we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Latin American leaders condemned the US actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brazil\u2019s President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva wrote on X that the actions cross an unacceptable line\u201d, adding that attacking countries in flagrant violation of international law is the first step toward a world of violence, chaos, and instability\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the strikes an assault on the sovereignty\u201d of Latin America, while Chile\u2019s President Gabriel Boric expressed concern and condemnation\u201d and called for a peaceful solution to the serious crisis affecting the country\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Cane accused the US of a criminal attack\u201d, while Uruguay said in an official statement that it was monitoring developments with attention and serious concern\u201d and rejects, as it always has, military intervention\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump has indicated that Cuba could become part of a broader US policy in the region, calling it a failing nation. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba was a disaster run by incompetent leaders who supported Maduro\u2019s administration and that the government in Havana should be concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged citizens to remain calm and to trust the country\u2019s leadership and military, saying the world needs to speak out about this attack\u201d according to news agency Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Argentinian President Javier Milei \u2013 who Trump has described as his favourite president\u201d \u2013 wrote freedom moves forward\u201d and long live freedom\u201d on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer refused to be drawn into whether or not the military action may have broken international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did not condemn the US strikes in an interview with the BBC\u2019s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme on Saturday morning<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he was waiting to establish all the facts but would not shy away from this\u201d, adding he was a lifelong advocate of international law\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK was not involved in the strikes and Sir Keir said he had not spoken to Trump about the operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later on Saturday, he posted on X that the UK regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK government will discuss the evolving situation with US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU\u2019s top diplomat Kaja Kallas reiterated the bloc\u2019s position that Maduro lacks legitimacy, that there should be a peaceful transition of power, and that the principles of international law must be respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

French President Emmanuel Macron said the transition of power must be peaceful, democratic, and respectful of the will of the Venezuelan people\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added he hoped Gonz\u00e1lez – the opposition\u2019s 2024 presidential candidate – could ensure the transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the legality of the US operation was complex\u201d and international law in general must apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warned that political instability must not be allowed to arise in Venezuela\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected\u201d, his spokesperson said. He was deeply alarmed\u201d by the strikes, which set a dangerous precedent\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the US, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said: Let me be clear, Maduro is an illegitimate dictator, but launching military action without congressional authorisation, without a federal plan for what comes next, is reckless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, a staunch US ally, congratulated Trump on his bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canada\u2019s Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Canada calls on all parties to respect international law and we stand by the people of Venezuela and their desire to live in a peaceful and democratic society\u201d. Canada was engaging with international partners, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway\u2019s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said international law is universal and binding for all states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American intervention in Venezuela is not in accordance with international law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: BBC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Agencies<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source: BBC Leaders around the world have responded with a mix of condemnation and support to the US capture of Venezuela\u2019s President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. Following a large-scale strike on Venezuela on Saturday, Maduro and his wife were captured by US forces and removed from the country. The pair have been indicted on drug charges in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-154017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154017"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154018,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154017\/revisions\/154018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}