Venezuela, Russia, China, UK Demand Release of Maduro, Condemn U.S. Military Action
Venezuela, Russia, China and the United Kingdom have called on the United States to release Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following a U.S. military operation that led to their arrest and transfer to the United States.
The calls came amid widespread international condemnation of the U.S. action, which several countries described as a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.
At an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council in New York on Monday, the UN ambassadors of Venezuela, Russia and China, alongside lawmakers from the United Kingdom, criticised the U.S. attack on Venezuela carried out over the weekend.
Russia and China, both permanent members of the Security Council, strongly condemned the operation. Russia described the U.S. action as “a harbinger of a return to an era of lawlessness and domination by force,” warning that such actions threaten global stability.
China echoed similar concerns, stating that “no country can act as the world’s police or presume to be the international judge,” while stressing that military force is not a solution to political disputes.
Russia further accused the United States of acting as a self-appointed global judge driven by economic and political motives. The Russian UN representative warned that silence by the Security Council would erode the international order and undermine the principles of sovereignty and non-interference.
China cautioned that the arbitrary use of force would only deepen crises and destabilise regions already facing significant security challenges.
Several other countries, including Cuba, Iran, Colombia and members of the Non-Aligned Movement, aligned with Russia and China, describing the U.S. action as a clear violation of the UN Charter, particularly its prohibition on the use of force.
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These countries maintained that Maduro remains Venezuela’s legitimate president, describing his arrest as a “kidnapping” and arguing that the immunity accorded to a sitting head of state had been violated. They also warned that the incident could set a dangerous precedent for the international system.
However, the United Kingdom, several European Union-aligned states, as well as Panama and Chile, took a different position, declaring that neither Maduro’s claim to the presidency nor the U.S. military action was legitimate. They jointly called for a peaceful, democratic transition led by the Venezuelan people.
In London, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Downing Street on Monday, calling for Maduro’s release. Demonstrators chanted “Free Maduro” and listened to speeches by British lawmakers, including Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Burgon, who urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resist pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
During the protest, a small group of demonstrators tore up a U.S. flag, while Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was delivering a statement to the House of Commons nearby.
Prime Minister Starmer has come under increasing pressure from left-wing members of his Labour Party to publicly condemn the U.S. military action that resulted in Maduro’s capture.
The United States has defended the operation, describing it as a “surgical law-enforcement action” against a “narco-terrorist,” insisting that Maduro was not the legitimate head of state.
In the early hours of Saturday, U.S. forces reportedly struck selected targets in Venezuela before arresting Maduro and his wife and removing them from the country. Although initial reports suggested they were transported to New York aboard a U.S. battleship, officials later confirmed they were flown directly to the United States.
Maduro and Flores are facing drug-related charges in New York. Both appeared in court on Monday, where they pleaded not guilty.
The Venezuelan government in Caracas requested the emergency Security Council meeting, with the backing of Russia and China, arguing that the U.S. operation violated the UN Charter and posed a serious threat to peace and security in the region and beyond.
The United Nations Security Council’s five permanent members are Russia, China, the United States, France and the United Kingdom, each of which holds veto power over council resolutions.
By PRNigeria
