China, Russia, and Iran were among the first to “condemn” the U.S. Special Forces operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. On early Sunday morning, a U.S. Army’s Delta Force team arrested Maduro and his wife at a military base near Caracas on charges of narco-terrorism in a flawlessly executed covert operation.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry “strongly condemned” the capture of narco-terrorist Maduro. China “firmly opposed” the “blatant use of force” against the suspected narco-terrorist, a spokesman for the ministry said.
Maduro’s ouster is a significant setback to China’s efforts to establish a foothold in Latin America. According to The South China Morning Post, the U.S. nighttime operation “came just hours after Maduro met the special representative of the Chinese government on Latin American affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi, in Caracas.” Beijing is “Venezuela’s largest oil buyer, with crude often shipped through intermediaries,” the Chinese daily noted.
Moscow toed Beijing’s line, “condemning” the U.S. action. “This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “This is deeply concerning and condemnable.”
It is worth noting that Russia recently upgraded Venezuela’s air defenses by reportedly delivering Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2 surface-to-air missile systems earlier this year.
France’s Le Monde reported the reactions of Venezuela’s leading allies — Russia, Cuba, and Iran:
Russia condemned what it called a US “act of armed aggression” against Venezuela in a statement posted on its Telegram channel Saturday. “We are extremely alarmed by reports that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were forcibly removed from the country as a result of today’s US aggression. We call for an immediate clarification of the situation,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. The ministry called for dialogue to prevent further escalation and said it reaffirmed its “solidarity” with the Venezuelan people and government, adding that Russia supports calls for an emergency UN Security Council meeting.Cuba, a traditional regional ally, denounced what it called “state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people” according to a statement by President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who urged a “response from the international community” following a “criminal attack” on Caracas.Iran, which has close links with oil-rich Venezuela, said it “strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Ahead of Sunday’s covert operation, China and Russia strongly backed the Venezuelan dictator in his confrontation with Washington. “China and Russia have expressed support for Venezuela,” as President “Trump continues to ramp up his pressure campaign on the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro,” British newspaper The Guardian reported on December 23.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, which is heavily involved in the Latin American drug trade and money laundering, condemned Maduro’s capture, the Jerusalem Post reports:
Hezbollah stated that it “condemns the terrorist aggression and American thuggery against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” and “further affirms its full solidarity with Venezuela – its people, presidency, and government – in confronting this American aggression and arrogance.”
The European response was muted, with the EU’s de facto Foreign Minister, Kaja Kallas, saying that Brussels “is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela” following Maduro’s capture. “The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr. Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition,” the top EU envoy wrote on X, tacitly welcoming the move.
The German Foreign Minister announced that it was following the developments in Venezuela “with the greatest concern.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, tanking in the polls at home, distanced himself from the U.S. action against the Venezuelan dictator. “I can be absolutely clear that we were not involved,” he declared.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY