Despite the long American military buildup around Venezuela, the American raid on Caracas to capture President Nicolás Maduro and his wife produced initial reactions of shock, outrage and skepticism from international leaders, many of them troubled by an exercise of American gunboat diplomacy.
The reactions were particularly angry from Latin America and from leaders who are more on the left and who have struggled with President Trump and his trade, tariff and other policies in the region. Allies of Mr. Maduro like Cuba and Russia predictably condemned the American intervention, despite Russia’s own invasion of sovereign Ukraine nearly four years ago. And some, like a senior Mexican official, said that Mr. Trump was simply after Venezuela’s large oil deposits.
European leaders were more cautious to criticize Mr. Trump, largely appealing for all parties to de-escalate and obey international law.
Most reaction came before Mr. Trump announced that the United States would “run the country” until an unclear transition to local leadership. There were no immediate details on Saturday on how Mr. Trump intends to try to administer Venezuela.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil was particularly scathing. He condemned the U.S. action and said it “recalls the worst moments of interference in the politics” of the region.
“The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line,” Mr. Lula wrote on social media. “These acts represent a grave affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty and yet another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community.”
President Gustavo Petro of Colombia wrote on X that he “rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America.” He added that he was deploying forces to Colombia’s border with Venezuela, with additional support “in the event of a massive influx of refugees.”
And President Gabriel Boric of Chile, a leftist whose term is coming to an end, also condemned the intervention. “We express our concern and condemnation of the military actions by the United States taking place in Venezuela, and we call for seeking a peaceful solution to the serious crisis affecting the country,” he said on social media. Like many, he called for dialogue to resolve the crisis, “not through violence or foreign interference.”
President Miguel Díaz-Canel of Cuba, a Maduro ally, denounced “a criminal attack” by the United States and called for “urgent reaction” from the world.
The reaction of Russia, another ally of Mr. Maduro, was strongly worded and apparently without irony. Russia, having invaded Ukraine four years ago and continuing to fight there, condemned the U.S. military action as “an act of armed aggression against Venezuela.” The Russian foreign ministry, in a statement, called the American attack “deeply concerning and condemnable,” adding: “The pretexts used to justify such actions are untenable. Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism.”
Russia said that it supports the leadership of Venezuela and called for an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the American intervention.
Iran, which has also been threatened in the last few days by Mr. Trump, issued a statement on Saturday condemning the U.S. attack and accusing the United States of violating the United Nations Charter.
But Mr. Trump has supporters in the region, too. President Javier Milei of Argentina celebrated the capture of Mr. Maduro. “Liberty advances,” he wrote on X.
And Prime Minister Kamla Susheila Persad-Bissessar of neighboring Trinidad and Tobago, who drew criticism for her support of Mr. Trump’s military buildup against Mr. Maduro in the name of combating drug trafficking, emphasized that her country played no role in the American operation and maintains peaceful relations with Venezuela.
The Venezuela intervention in the name of countering drug smuggling recalled to many the invasion of Panama in 1989. Back then, American forces captured Manuel Antonio Noriega, the ruler of Panama, and brought him to the United States to face charges of drug trafficking. He was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison, ultimately serving 17 years after a reduction in his sentence for good behavior. He died in Panamanian custody in 2017.
The Mexican government “condemned energetically” Washington’s unilateral military action in Venezuela, warned of regional instability and urged dialogue, according to a statement from the country’s foreign ministry. “Mexico makes an urgent call to respect international law, as well as the principles and purposes of the U.N. Charter, and to cease any act of aggression against the Venezuelan government and people,” read the statement, which was posted on X by President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico.
Gerardo Fernández Noroña, the president of Mexico’s Senate and an influential leader of the country’s governing Morena party, said the U.S. actions were aimed at taking control of Venezuela’s oil. “President Maduro has not been captured; he was deprived of his liberty through a military intervention by the United States government,” Mr. Fernández Noroña said on social media. “He is a prisoner of war. They seek through this to subdue the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in order to seize its natural resources.”
The Europeans were more circumspect. Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said she had spoken to Secretary of State Marco Rubio about events in Venezuela. “The EU is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela,” she wrote in a social media post. “The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr. Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint. The safety of EU citizens in the country is our top priority.”
The president of the European Council, António Costa, said on Saturday that the European Union wants de-escalation in Venezuela. Mr. Costa wrote on X that the E.U. “would continue to support a peaceful, democratic, and inclusive solution in Venezuela.”
Spain, with its close ties to Latin America, offered to mediate in the crisis in an attempt to broker a negotiated and peaceful solution. “Spain calls for de-escalation and restraint,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it was “ready to help in the search for a democratic, negotiated, and peaceful solution for the country.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain was also cautious, saying: “I will want to talk to the president, I will want to talk to allies, but at the moment I think we need to establish the facts.” Asked about condemnation of the American intervention from other politicians, he said, “We should all uphold international law.”
The Europeans have been mostly consumed with Ukraine and helping President Volodymyr Zelensky refine a peace proposal that would satisfy Mr. Trump and then be presented to Russia, which has already made it clear that it is unacceptable in current form. On Saturday, the national security advisers of the main European countries were in Kyiv on that matter, which is of more strategic importance to the Europeans than the fate of Mr. Maduro.
Ukraine itself largely supported the actions of Mr. Trump, arguing, as Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha did, that Ukraine defends “the right of nations to live freely, free of dictatorship, oppression and human rights violations.” He accused Mr. Maduro’s government of having “violated all such principles in every respect.”
France largely followed the European line, criticizing Mr. Maduro, but Paris also raised the challenge of the American intervention to international law. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on social media that the military operation “violates the principle of non-resort to force that underpins international law.” He added: “France recalls that no lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside and that sovereign peoples alone decide their future.”
But perhaps the most interesting criticism of Mr. Trump came from Jordan Bardella, the likely presidential candidate of France’s far right National Rally party, which has received support from Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
“No one will miss” the Maduro regime, Mr. Bardella said on social media. “That said, respect for international law and the sovereignty of states cannot be applied selectively,” he added. “The forcible overthrow of a government from the outside cannot constitute an acceptable response, only exacerbating the geopolitical instability of our time.”
In the face of such intervention, he added, France must “rearm our nation, to strengthen our industrial and military capabilities,” in order to “make its independent voice heard on the international stage, one that respects sovereignties.”
Reporting was contributed by Ana Ionova, Annie Correal, Simon Romero, Genevieve Glatsky, Emma Bubola, Maria Abi-Habib, Jason Horowitz, Lizzie Dearden, Jeanna Smialek and Leily Nikounazar.
Steven Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe and is based in Berlin. He has reported from over 120 countries, including Thailand, France, Israel, Germany and the former Soviet Union.
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