UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he is “deeply alarmed” over the standoff between the United States and Venezuela in recent months, which culminated on Saturday morning in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by US special forces.
“The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the recent escalation in Venezuela, culminating with today’s United States military action in the country, which has potential worrying implications for the region,” said a statement issued by his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
US President Donald Trump made the announcement on social media, and the US Attorney General said Maduro and his wife would face “the full wrath of American justice on American soil, in American courts,” based on a 2020 narcoterrorism indictment during the first Trump administration in New York.
The US operation began with overnight strikes in and around the capital, Caracas. Venezuela has declared a state of national emergency, with casualty figures and the extent of the damage yet to be confirmed.
The Venezuelan Government denounced the act of “extremely serious military aggression” by the US, which followed months of increasing tension including a major military build up off the Venezuela coast and a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats.
The US ordered the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers in recent weeks amid threats that it would launch land operations to force Maduro from office.
“Independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent. The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter,” the UN spokesperson said.
“He’s deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.”
Guterres called on all parties involved to engage in “inclusive dialogue” in accordance with human rights and international law.
The UN human rights chief Volker Turk also called for restraint and full respect for international law. “The protection of the people of Venezuela is paramount and must guide any further action,” he added.
Venezuela has formally asked the Security Council to meet in emergency session in New York.
During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, President Trump said that the US intended to “run Venezuela” until there is a “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power.
As the country with the world’s largest oil reserves, he added that US oil companies would modernize and renovate infrastructure “to make money for the country.”
It represents the largest US military operation in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama, when, as today, the US captured the country’s leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega.
According to media reports, many countries expressed outrage over the capture of Maduro on Saturday, while even some US allies issued statements calling for the rule of law to be respected.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it is “extremely alarmed” and called for “immediate clarification”, according to a statement posted on Saturday on the ministry’s Telegram channel.
It added later in a post on X: “The US committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela, which gives rise to deep concern & warrants condemnation.”
“The pretexts used to justify these actions are untenable. Russia reaffirms its solidarity with the Venezuelan people,”it continued in the post.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was “deeply shocked” by what it described as a “blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.”
“Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.