British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK had no part in the assault ordered by US President Donald Trump on Venezuelan capital Caracas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to establish the facts first, I want to speak to President Trump, I want to speak to allies,\u201d the UK leader said in brief comments aired on British television hours after the US attack. \u201cI can be absolutely clear that we were not involved in that. And as you know, I always say and believe we should all uphold international law.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t Neither the EU nor the UK has recognized the results of the disputed 2024 election that handed Maduro a third term in power. Both have slapped sanctions on dozens of Venezuelan officials for undermining democracy in the country.<\/p>\n But they have stopped short of formally recognizing 2024 opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as Venezuela\u2019s rightful leader, as the United States has done.<\/p>\n Gonzalez Urrutia ran as a last-minute stand-in for opposition figurehead Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from contesting last year\u2019s election. After the vote, Gonzalez Urrutia fled Venezuela for Madrid \u2014 which offered to act as mediator after Maduro\u2019s capture on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cSpain calls for de-escalation and moderation, and for action to always be taken in accordance with international law and the principles of the UN Charter,\u201d the Spanish government said. \u201cIn this regard, Spain is willing to offer its good offices to achieve a peaceful and negotiated solution to the current crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n Venezuela\u2019s allies cry foul<\/p>\n The US assault on Venezuela came after the Trump administration spent months escalating pressure on Maduro. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels \u2014 the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US began strikes at sea in September. The US accuses Maduro of running a drug cartel.<\/p>\n Russia, a Venezuelan ally, accused the US of unprovoked aggression and expressed support for a statement by Venezuelan authorities and Latin American leaders calling for an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council.<\/p>\n \u201cThis morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable,\u201d Moscow\u2019s foreign ministry said. \u201cThe pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological animosity has prevailed over business pragmatism and the willingness to build relationships based on trust and predictability.\u201d<\/p>\n \t \u201cIn the current situation, it is important, first and foremost, to prevent further escalation and to focus on finding a way out of the situation through dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLatin America must remain a zone of peace,\u201d said the statement. \u201cVenezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, interference from outside.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for \u201cresistance\u201d against the US assault in Venezuela, a day after Trump said the US was \u201clocked and loaded\u201d to strike Iran if it kills peaceful protesters.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat matters is that when a person realizes the enemy is arrogantly trying to impose something on the country, on the officials, on the government, and on the nation, one must stand firmly against the enemy and bare one\u2019s chest in resistance. We will not yield to the enemy,\u201d said Khamenei. \u201cRelying on Almighty God, trusting in God, and with confidence in the support of the people, God willing and by divine grace, we will bring the enemy to its knees.\u201d<\/p>\n The Hezbollah terror group, a member of Iran\u2019s so-called Axis of Resistance network of regional anti-Israel proxies, said it \u201ccondemns the terrorist aggression and American thuggery against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.<\/p>\n \u201cHezbollah further affirms its full solidarity with Venezuela \u2014 its people, presidency, and government \u2014 in confronting this American aggression and arrogance,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26003438069663-e1767447686847-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tGovernment supporters display posters of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, right, and former President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez in downtown Caracas, Venezuela, January 3, 2026, after US President Donald Trump announced that Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country. (AP Photo\/Matias Delacroix)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AFP__20250507__44TY9N4__v1__HighRes__RussiaVenezuelaDiplomacy-e1767447752701-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tRussian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro shake hands as they exchange documents during a signing ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 7, 2025. (Alexander NEMENOV \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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