Following overnight U.S. strikes on Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, President Donald Trump said on January 3 that American special forces had captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and taken them out of the country. The United States has formally charged the Maduros with narcoterrorism, cocaine trafficking, and illegal weapons possession, and plans to prosecute them in American courts.
Moscow’s response
At the time of writing, Russia’s Foreign Ministry had issued four separate statements on Washington’s military operation in Venezuela, denouncing it as “armed aggression by the United States against Venezuela.” “Ideologized animosity has prevailed over pragmatic engagement,” the ministry declared in its first statement. In a second statement, released two hours later, Moscow commented on early reports of the Maduros’ abduction, calling it “an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an independent state, the respect for which is a fundamental principle of international law.”
Hours later, Moscow reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had spoken by phone with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, and reaffirmed their “mutual commitment to bolster up comprehensive [sic] strategic partnership between Russia and Venezuela.” Roughly 20 minutes later, the ministry responded to confirmation that the Maduros were now in American custody, saying, “We strongly urge the U.S. leadership to reconsider their position and release the legitimately elected president of a sovereign country and his spouse.”
Kyiv’s response
Writing on X, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that “the Maduro regime” had violated human rights and “the right of nations to live freely,” stressing that Kyiv does not recognize Maduro’s legitimacy. “The people of Venezuela must have a chance for a normal life, security, prosperity, and human dignity,” Sybiha said, adding that Ukraine supports “further developments in accordance with the principles of international law.”
At the time of writing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had not commented on Saturday’s events in Venezuela. He last tweeted about the nation in August 2024, when he condemned reports of Russian mercenaries reinforcing government forces. “This is a clear example of Russia’s shameless meddling in other countries’ affairs,” Zelensky tweeted at the time.
Europe’s response
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and E.U. High Representative Kaja Kallas used similar language in their responses to the U.S. attack on Venezuela. Both officials endorsed a “peaceful transition” following Maduro’s capture and stressed the need to respect international law. “The E.U. has repeatedly stated that Mr. Maduro lacks legitimacy,” Kallas added.