On January 3, the global outcry against the US invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping and arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and the First Lady continues to intensify.
The Venezuelan authorities have officially defined the incident as “state-sponsored kidnapping” and a “terrorist attack against a sovereign state.”
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially designated the airstrikes as an “act of armed aggression” and dismissed the US legal justifications as “baseless.” Vasily Nebenzia, the Russian Ambassador to the UN, condemned it as a “reckless act and the largest act of extortion in modern history.”
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “China firmly opposes such hegemonic behavior by the U.S., which seriously violates international law, violates Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in Latin America.” China further signaled that it would not recognize any government established by outside forces.
Brazilian President Lula condemned the bombing and kidnapping as “an act that has crossed an unacceptable line,” expressing concern that it is a serious violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and a “very dangerous precedent for the entire international community.”
Colombian President Petro denounced the “aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and Latin America,” reiterating his previous warning that such intervention could turn Venezuela into a “second Syria.”
Mexican President Sheinbaum clearly stated her opposition to “interventionism,” reaffirming Mexico’s principle of non-intervention and calling for the immediate cessation of military actions.
Cuban President Díaz-Canel defined the operation as “state terrorism” and a “blatant act of hostility,” demanding that the international community “respond to this criminal attack and the brutal assault on a Zone of Peace.”
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised its voice, stating that “the US has become the greatest threat to international peace and security.”
The Belarusian government also condemned the attack as an “armed aggression” and a direct threat to global stability.
While the Spanish Foreign Ministry called for “de-escalation and restraint” and urged compliance with international law and the UN Charter.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attempted to distance the UK from the operation, stating, “We did not participate. Every nation must respect international law.”
However, major figures of the European Left, including former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, expressed their outrage through Progressive International (PI), asserting, “This is the prelude to an invasion. We strongly condemn the escalation of military tension against Venezuela.”
ALBA Movimientos, a coalition of various social movements in Europe, vehemently denounced the attack as a “war crime” intended to “plunder Venezuela’s strategic resources, especially oil and gold, through colonialist policies of military intervention and regime change.”
La Via Campesina, the international peasant movement, defended the rights of the Venezuelan people and condemned military threats of the US, stating, “Venezuela is hope, not a threat,” and emphasized that they have the right to determine their own destiny.
The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) passed a resolution to “unconditionally condemn the US’s completely illegal and unjustifiable act of aggression” and resolved to “take all relevant legal and civil measures to hold US officials and military personnel accountable for their blatant violation of the UN Charter.”
Internal opposition within the US is intensifying.
The advocacy group CODEPINK released a statement, saying, “the United States government bombed civilian and military sites across Venezuela and illegally kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. These are blatant and illegal acts of war by the Trump Administration..”
The anti-war organization ANSWER Coalition linked this new war to domestic inequality, pointing out, “it will be working class young people who are sent to kill and die, not the children of executives at ExxonMobil.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, through a spokesperson, expressed “deep concern” over the escalating situation and warned that it could have “implications for the region.” In an official statement, he noted, “Independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent,” and pointed out that “the rules of international law were not respected.”
The Permanent Mission of Venezuela to the UN requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to address this “brutal, unjustified, and unilateral” act of armed aggression. Diplomatic letters sent to the Security Council define the arrest of Maduro as an “international crime of kidnapping” and a violation of the protection measures customarily afforded to heads of state.
Meanwhile, on January 3, the Cuban people gathered in Havana, shouting “Overthrow Imperialism!” while condemning the US military action and strongly demanding the release of President Maduro and First Lady Flores.
