World leaders have responded with a mixture of condemnation and caution after US President Donald Trump captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and wife Cilia Flores, and declared the US would seize control of the South American nation.
Trump posted an image of a handcuffed and blindfolded Maduro on board a flight bound for the US on Truth Social before claiming his administration would "run the country" until a judicious transition.
Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio both supported the large-scale strike on Venezuela, while Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the captured pair have been indicted on narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracy charges
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The response from many foreign governments around the world – including Australia – has been measured.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian government urges "all parties to support dialogue and diplomacy in order to secure regional stability and prevent escalation", but stopped short of criticising the operation itself.
"Australia has long held concerns about the situation in Venezuela, including the need to respect democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms," the PM said.
"We continue to support international law and a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people."
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said she welcomed the news and that Maduro was now facing justice after serving as an "illegitimate president".
"Under his rule, Venezuela has endured years of repression, systemic human rights abuses, corruption, and the crushing of basic democratic freedoms," Ley said in a joint statement alongside Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash.
"The Venezuelan people deserve the chance to restore their sovereignty through a peaceful return to democracy.
"We should live in a world where dictators and despots face justice for their crimes."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially said he was working to "establish the facts".
In a second update posted to X, Starmer said the UK supported a transition of power in Venezuela.
"We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate President and we shed no tears about the end of his regime," Starmer said.
https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/2007540837224255602
French President Emmanuel Macron reacted with a similarly tempered response.
"The transition to come must be peaceful, democratic, and respectful of the will of the Venezuelan people. We hope that President Edmundo González Urrutia, elected in 2024, will be able to ensure this transition as quickly as possible," Macron wrote on X.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government would "take our time" to evaluate the developments in Venezuela.
Merz added that "a transition to a government legitimised by elections must be ensured" and said "political instability must not arise in Venezuela".
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump in a post on X.
"Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump for your bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice," Netanyahu wrote.
"I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers."
Other foreign governments swiftly responded with strong criticism of the US' military action.
The Mexican Ministry for Foreign Affairs said it "strongly condemns and rejects the military actions carried out unilaterally in recent hours by the armed forces of the United States of America against targets in the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in clear violation of Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations".
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that while Spain did not recognise Maduro's regime, his government also does not recognise an intervention that is a violation of international law and of which "pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence".
"We call on all actors to think of the civilian population, to respect the United Nations Charter, and to articulate a fair and dialogued transition," Sanchez said.
Russia's foreign ministry condemned the action as an "act of armed aggression".
"The 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," the ministry said in a statement.
"In 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."
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China's foreign ministry said in a statement that it was "deeply shocked".
"China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the US against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country," a ministry statement said.
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