World leaders largely express concern, some praise, about US capture of Maduro

World leaders reacted with shock to the reports of a late-night U.S. military operation against Venezuela that President Donald Trump said resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, calling for a respect of international law.

The early morning strike against military and political targets in Caracas prompted expressions of concern from critics of the White House in the Western Hemisphere in particular. As explosions were reported overnight in Caracas, Colombian President Gustavo Petro — a prominent Trump critic — was among the first to call attention to the strikes, saying on X that Venezuela was being bombed and calling for the United Nations to convene.

In an official statement Colombia expressed “deep concern” and called for de-escalation of the conflict, adding that they were securing their border with Venezuela.

Joining that criticism were some Latin American governments which had supported the Venezuelan opposition. Chilean President Gabriel Boric, who broke with other leftist leaders in the region to condemn Maduro’s human rights abuses, wrote on X that “the Venezuelan crisis should resolve itself through dialogue and support for multilateralism, not through violence or foreign interference.” Meanwhile, Mexico released a statement saying they “condemn and energetically reject” the strikes, calling for a return to diplomacy.

“The strikes on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has frequently butted heads with Trump, wrote on X. “These acts represent a grave affront to Venezuelan sovereignty and an extremely dangerous precedent for the international community.”

But one of Trump’s biggest allies in the region — Argentina’s President Javier Milei — stuck to his usual ringing mantra — “live freedom, damn it,” “VIVA LA LIBERTAD CARAJO.”

The overnight operation marked the biggest escalation to date of Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against Venezuela, looking to undermine or topple Maduro. The push has included dozens of boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea and a blockade of Venezuelan oil that has strained the country’s exports. The strikes against vessels, which the administration alleged were carrying drugs or narco-traffickers, have killed more than 100 people.

The Trump administration has repeatedly lambasted Maduro, claiming him to be the leader of the drug cartel Cartel de Los Soles. Maduro has rejected Trump’s claims. But the administration has increasingly taken a harder line, as the end goal of the elevating brinksmanship turned toward ousting the leader.

Maduro is not recognized by the U.S. as the country’s legitimate president, following a 2024 election that the opposition claims was stolen from their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez.

U.S. allies outside the region have reacted cautiously. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X that the bloc views Maduro as “an illegitimate leader,” while calling for “restraint” and affirming the need to respect international law. Spain’s left-wing prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, also called for upholding international law.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called it a “criminal attack” on X.

Russia’s foreign ministry also quickly jumped to the Venezuelan regime’s defense, saying the U.S. committed an “act of armed aggression” and that the U.S. justification is “untenable.”

“Time to watch the double standards in real time,” Kirill Dmitriev, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top aides, wrote on X.

Russia’s relations with Venezuela have increasingly become a complicating factor in Trump’s campaign against the South American country, with Russian officials most recently asking the U.S. to stop its pursuit of a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean that became the subject of a days-long chase.

Trinidad and Tobago, which hosted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth late last year and sits just a few miles from Venezuela, wrote on X that they were not involved in the operation and that they maintain “peaceful relations” with Venezuela.

Venezuela is not the only country to have come under criticism and threats of a strike from the Trump administration. Trump took to Truth Social earlier this week to denounce the crackdown on growing protests in Iran, saying the U.S. is “locked and loaded” ready to step in should the country crack down on its protestors.

“What’s important is when one realizes an enemy wants to force something on one’s govt. or nation with false claims, they must stand firmly against that enemy,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wrote on X Sunday morning. “We won’t give in to them. With reliance on God & confidence in the people’s support, we’ll bring the enemy to its knees.”