United States President Donald Trump has said the US has carried out a “large scale strike” against Venezuela and “captured” the country’s leader, President Nicolas Maduro.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Maduro and his wife had been “captured and flown out of the country” following the operation, which the US leader said was conducted “in conjunction with US law enforcement”.
Washington had carried out strikes inside Venezuela early on Saturday, in a dramatic escalation that Venezuelans had feared for weeks.
In a statement on X, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said Venezuela was experiencing a “new dawn”.
“The tyrant is gone. He will now – finally – face justice for his crimes,” Landau said.
In a statement shortly after the US bombings, Maduro’s government accused Washington of an “extremely serious military aggression”.
“Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and people,” the Venezuelan government said.
Colombia
“Alerting the whole world that they have attacked Venezuela,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote in a series of statements posted on the social media platform X.
“The Republic of Colombia reiterates its conviction that peace, respect for international law, and the protection of life and human dignity must prevail over any form of armed confrontation,” Petro said.
In a separate post, he said Colombia “rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America”.
Cuba
President Miguel Diaz-Canel issued a sharply worded condemnation on social media, accusing Washington of carrying out a “criminal attack” against Venezuela and calling for an urgent international response.
In a post on X, Diaz-Canel said Cuba’s so-called “zone of peace” was being “brutally assaulted”, describing the US action as “state terrorism” directed not only at the Venezuelan people but at “Our America” more broadly.
He ended the statement with the revolutionary slogan: “Homeland or Death, We Shall Overcome.”
In a statement posted by various Cuban embassies around the world, Havana said it “denounces the US military attack against Venezuela”.
The statement also “demands an urgent reaction from the international community”, describing the attack as “state terrorism”.
Chile
In a statement posted on X, Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font expressed his government’s “concern and condemnation” of the US military actions in Venezuela.
“We call for seeking a peaceful solution to the serious crisis affecting the country,” he said.
“Chile reaffirms its commitment to basic principles of International Law, such as the prohibition of the use of force, non-intervention, the peaceful settlement of international disputes, and the territorial integrity of States. The Venezuelan crisis must be resolved through dialogue and the support of multilateralism, and not through violence or foreign interference.”
Mexico
In a statement on X, President Claudia Sheinbaum said “Mexico condemns the military intervention in Venezuela.”
She also included in her post an article in the UN Charter which states: “The Members of the Organisation, in their international relations, shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”
Brazil
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned the US bombings and capture of Maduro as crossing “an unacceptable line”.
“Attacking countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step toward a world of violence, chaos, and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism,” Lula wrote on X.
He added that the US attacks recall the “worst moments of interference” in Latin American politics, threatening peace across the region. “The international community, through the United Nations, needs to respond vigorously to this episode,” he said.
United Kingdom
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country was not involved in the United States’ strikes on Venezuela and that he wanted to speak with Trump and find out the full facts of what had happened.
“I want to establish the facts first. I want to speak to President Trump. I want to speak to allies. I can be absolutely clear that we were not involved … and I always say and believe we should all uphold international law,” he said in a statement to British broadcasters.
China
China's Ministry for foreign affairs posted a statement on X.
"China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president. Such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region. China firmly opposes it. We call on the U.S. to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries’ sovereignty and security."
