China and Russia Lead Global Condemnation of US Action in Venezuela

BEIJING:  A deep diplomatic rift has opened across the globe following the US military operation that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife. While several Western nations have expressed quiet relief at the end of the Maduro regime, a powerful bloc of nations led by China and Russia has slammed the move as a “flagrant violation” of international law.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaking alongside his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, alluded to the “sudden developments” with sharp criticism. “We have never believed that any country can act as the world’s police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world’s judge,” Wang said, asserting that the sovereignty of all nations must be protected under the UN Charter.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry echoed this sentiment, labeling the operation an “act of armed aggression” driven by ideological animosity rather than pragmatism.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday 22 December 2025. fedpol Photo

In a rare show of regional unity, a joint statement from Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay expressed “deep concern” over the military intervention. The bloc rejected the operation, stating it sets an “extremely dangerous precedent for regional peace.”

President Donald Trump departs on Air Force One from Palm Beach International Airport on January 4.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was particularly vocal, claiming the strikes cross an “unacceptable line” that prioritizes the “law of the strongest” over multilateralism.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump in a post on X.

From the Vatican, Pope Leo—who spent over 20 years working in Peru—called for the sovereignty of Venezuela to be guaranteed. Speaking at the Sunday Angelus, the Pope appealed for the “poorest who suffer” and urged a transition that ensures the rule of law and respects human rights, warning against the “horizon of belligerence” the intervention has created.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government does not recognise an intervention which violates international law.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern that the rules of international law have not been respected, emphasizing that the UN Charter must be the sole guide for international relations to prevent a global descent into chaos.