World condemns US strikes on Venezuela, Spain offers mediation

Global condemnation follows US Venezuela strikes

International condemnation has mounted following US strikes on Venezuela and President Donald Trump’s claim that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured, with several countries warning the action risks escalating tensions across Latin America.

Russia, Iran and Colombia denounced the operation as an act of aggression and a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty, while Spain called for restraint and offered to mediate between Washington and Caracas.

Russia

Russia condemned the US military action in Venezuela on Saturday, saying there was no tenable justification for the attack and that "ideological hostility" had prevailed over diplomacy.

Venezuela is Russia's most important ally in South America, though the Kremlin has stopped short of offering assistance to Caracas in the event of a conflict with the US.

"This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The pretexts used to justify such actions are untenable. Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism," it added.

The statement did not mention Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, whom US President Donald Trump said was captured during Saturday's military action on the South American country.

"We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people," Russia's statement said, adding there were no reports of Russian citizens injured in US strikes.

China

China expressed strong condemnation on Saturday following reports that the United States launched military strikes on Venezuela, with President Donald Trump claiming on Truth Social that Caracas had been “successfully” targeted and that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured and “flown out of the country.”

In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was “deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president.” China described the strikes as “hegemonic acts” that “seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region.”

“China firmly opposes it,” the ministry added, urging Washington to “abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries’ sovereignty and security.”

The comment comes amid heightened international concern over the unprecedented U.S. military action, which has already drawn criticism from Russia, Iran, Cuba, and several Latin American governments. Chinese officials did not provide further details on any direct diplomatic steps but stressed that respect for sovereignty and adherence to international norms are “fundamental principles” that must guide global conduct.

The U.S. operation marks a dramatic escalation in its months-long standoff with Maduro, who has faced repeated pressure from Washington over alleged drug trafficking and authoritarian governance.

Iran

Iran on Saturday condemned what it described as an American attack on Venezuela, after Caracas accused the United States of being behind explosions that rocked the capital.

The Iranian foreign ministry in a statement said it "strongly condemns the American military attack on Venezuela and the flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country".

Spain

Spain on Saturday offered to mediate in the crisis between the United States and Venezuela after US attacks on Caracas and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, who was flown out of his country.

"Spain calls for de-escalation and restraint," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that "in this regard ... it is prepared to offer its good offices to achieve a peaceful, negotiated solution to the current crisis".

Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Saturday he ordered the deployment of military forces to the Venezuelan border, following US strikes that, according to Donald Trump, ended with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Petro described Washington's actions as an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America and said they would result in a humanitarian crisis

While proposing that the situation could be resolved through "dialogue," the leftist president said on X that he had also ordered the "deployment of the security forces" to the Venezuelan border.

Petro made no mention of Maduro's capture, despite the Venezuelan leader being one of his government's closest allies in the region.

Earlier, the Colombian leader had requested an "immediate" meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the UN to "establish the international legality of the aggression" by the United States.

Colombia holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council this year, which led to its call for the body to be convened.

Petro has been a vocal critic of military deployments ordered by Trump in the Caribbean to fight alleged drug trafficking vessels.

Petro added in other posts to social media that he had put measures in place to "preserve stability at the border."

An AFP reporter observed normal conditions at the main crossing between the two countries.

Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said the security forces had activated "all capacities" to prevent "any attempted terrorist attack" at the border by illegal groups such as the National Liberation Army.

As part of his anti-drug strategy, Trump recently said he would not rule out striking drug-production laboratories in Colombia, which Petro condemned as a threat of invasion at the time.

Britain

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain was not involved in the United States' strikes on Venezuela on Saturday and that it was important to uphold international law, and that he wanted to speak to U.S. President Donald Trump and find out exactly what had happened.

Asked if he condemned the U.S. action like the leaders of Britain's left-leaning Liberal Democrat and Green parties, who both called it unlawful, Starmer said he first wanted to understand exactly what had happened.

"It's obviously a fast-moving situation and we need to establish all the facts," he said in a statement to British broadcasters.

"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 added.

Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party which is currently highest in the opinion polls, said he believed the U.S. actions broke international law "but if they make China and Russia think twice, it may be a good thing".

Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, also said the foreign ministry was working to ensure the roughly 500 British citizens in Venezuela remained safe.

Britain's foreign ministry advises against all travel to Venezuela.

France

France on Saturday condemned the American operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying it undermined international law while no solution to the country's crisis can be imposed from the outside.

Maduro "gravely violated" the rights of Venezuelans, but the military operation that led to him being grabbed "contravenes the principle of non-use of force, which underpins international law", Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X.

"No lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside", he said, warning that "the increasing violations" of this principle by permanent UN Security Council members "will have serious consequences for global security, sparing no one".

Cuba

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.

Germany

Germany's foreign ministry told AFP that "we are monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely and following the latest reports with great concern. The foreign ministry is in close contact with the embassy in Caracas."

Berlin added that the government’s crisis team was in session and "we are coordinating closely with our partners."

Italy

The office of Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, said she was "closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela, remaining in constant contact with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, also in order to gather information about our fellow citizens."

(With inputs from agencies)