TANZANIA- The U N Security Council convened an emergency session on Monday following what diplomats described as an unprecedented and unlawful United States military operation inside Venezuela aimed at capturing President Nicolas Maduro. The meeting exposed deep international alarm and sharp condemnation of Washingtons actions, with senior U N officials warning that the operation may constitute a serious violation of international law.
Addressing the Security Council, allies and adversaries alike rebuked President Donald Trump for authorizing the raid and for openly signaling that similar military actions could be expanded to other nations, including Colombia and Mexico, under the banner of counter narcotics enforcement. Several delegates also pointed to Trumps repeated threats to seize Greenland as further evidence of a dangerous disregard for sovereignty and international norms.
U N Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a stern statement expressing deep concern that the rules governing the use of force between states were ignored during the January 3 operation. He warned that the gravity of the United States action risked setting a destabilizing precedent, one that could erode the foundations of international order and encourage unilateral military interventions.
Denmark, a NATO member with jurisdiction over Greenland, echoed those concerns in strong terms. Its representative stressed that national borders are inviolable and not subject to negotiation or coercion. Danish Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen stated that no state has the right to shape Venezuelas political future through threats, force, or any means that violate international law.
Colombias ambassador to the U N, Leonor Zalabata, described the raid as a chilling reminder of the worst eras of foreign interference in Latin America. She warned that democracy cannot be defended through violence, intimidation, or coercion, nor can it be subordinated to economic or strategic interests.
Russias ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, delivered one of the harshest rebukes, calling the U.S. operation a return to an era of global lawlessness. He accused Washington of appointing itself as a self declared global judge with the power to invade sovereign nations, determine guilt, and impose punishment without regard for international law, sovereignty, or nonintervention.
The United States delegation rejected the criticism. U.S. envoy Mike Waltz defended the raid as a surgical law enforcement action and dismissed objections from the Security Council. He accused the body of granting legitimacy to what he labeled an illegitimate narco terrorist leader, arguing that treating Maduro on equal footing with elected heads of state undermined the credibility of the United Nations itself.
According to U.S. officials, Maduro and his wife were seized early Saturday from their residence on a Venezuelan military base and transported aboard a U.S. warship. They were transferred to New York to face prosecution under a Justice Department indictment alleging involvement in a narco terrorism conspiracy. Maduro appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday.
The operation followed months of escalating U.S. military activity off Venezuelas coast, including attacks on vessels Washington claimed were linked to drug trafficking. President Trump has openly stated that the United States intends to administer Venezuela on a temporary basis and exploit its vast oil reserves for international sale.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to soften that position, stating that Washingtons immediate goal is to enforce an existing oil quarantine on sanctioned tankers and use economic pressure to force political changes in Caracas.
Despite those assurances, the emergency session underscored a growing consensus within the U N that the United States actions mark a dangerous breach of international law, one that threatens global stability and the principle of sovereign equality among nations.
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