France condemns US operation to capture Maduro; Russia ‘strongly urges’ release
PARIS, France (AFP) — 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”.
Meanwhile, Russia on Saturday urged the United States (US) to release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, following their shock capture by US forces earlier in the day.
“We strongly urge the American leadership to reconsider its position and release the legally elected president of the sovereign country and his wife,” the Russian foreign ministry said.
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.
Early Saturday, “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.
In a later statement, the ministry said it was “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,” it added.
Russia reaffirmed its support for Maduro last month and was one of only several countries to congratulate the embattled Venezuelan leader following his disputed re-election in 2024.
