Nicolás Maduro's detention confronts Latin America at the UN over the use of force

The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, during a U.S. military operation, sparked a diplomatic clash this Monday in the UN Security Council, where Washington defended it as an action against drug trafficking, while several Latin American countries denounced a violation of international law and others called for a political transition. The Venezuelan ambassador to the organization, Samuel Moncada, denounced a "flagrant violation" of the UN charter and international law, called the operation an "illegitimate armed attack" and demanded the release and return of Maduro. He warned that tolerating this type of action "is tantamount to normalizing the substitution of law by force" and called for de-escalation, dialogue and peace, assuring that Venezuela remains under institutional control with Delcy Rodríguez as acting president.

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For its part, the United States defended the operation and denied being at war or in an occupation of Venezuela. His UN ambassador, Mike Waltz, stated that Maduro is "a drug trafficker" and "an illegitimate president," and maintained that the arrest was a "police action" aimed at protecting Americans from narcoterrorism. Waltz assured that Washington seeks "a better future for the Venezuelan people" and reiterated that President Donald Trump offered "multiple diplomatic solutions" before the operation. Condemns the intervention
Colombia, which promoted the convening of the Security Council meeting with the support of Russia and China, denounced that Maduro's detention "violates international law and the UN charter" and urged member states to defend the principles of international law as a "common obligation to preserve international peace and security". Her permanent representative to the United Nations, Leonor Zalabata, assured that the operation constitutes "evident violations of Venezuelan sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity". In addition, he recalled that Trump threatened the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, with sending his country "a US mission" similar to the one deployed in Venezuela. Brazilian representative Sérgio Danese described the operation as "an extremely dangerous precedent" and stated that the solution to the crisis does not involve "the construction of protectorates," but rather dialogue and respect for the self-determination of the Venezuelan people. Chile, through its permanent representative Paula Narváez, stated that "respect for international law admits no exceptions even when it comes to addressing the illegitimacy of a president". Although he reiterated that his country does not recognize the Maduro regime, he stressed that the serious human rights violations "do not have a military solution" and warned that an armed conflict would have "devastating" consequences for the region. In turn, Mexico condemned the United States' "military aggression." Ambassador Héctor Vasconcelos warned that the operation puts the political stability and security of Latin America and the Caribbean at "serious risk," and reiterated that "dialogue and negotiation are the only legitimate and effective ways" to resolve the crisis, reiterating President Claudia Sheinbaum's call to intensify international mediation. Cuba described the operation as an "unacceptable and barbaric act." Its representative to the UN, Ernesto Soberón, accused the United States of wanting to impose a "puppet government" and confirmed the death of 32 Cuban soldiers during the operations, who, according to Havana, "fell after fierce resistance in direct combat." Also, Nicaragua expressed its "indignation and pain" over the death of the Cubans and demanded before the UN "the immediate release" of Maduro. Nicaraguan representative Jaime Hermida maintained that the region is a "zone of peace" that must be respected without exception and affirmed that his country "will always be with Venezuela". Calls for a political transition
The Argentine ambassador to the United Nations, Francisco Tropepi, said that his country "values the decision and determination demonstrated" by the United States and called the Maduro government "an illegitimate regime" that constitutes a threat to the region. He added that the capture could open a stage of democratic transition and requested the release of the Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo, detained in Venezuela since December 2024. The Paraguayan representative, José Pereira, maintained that "the restoration of democracy must be immediately opened," allowing the "legitimately elected authorities" to assume power, in reference to the opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia. Although he did not strongly condemn the bombing or the capture of Maduro, he reaffirmed Paraguay's "historical commitment" to the "peaceful resolution" of conflicts and called for the release of "all political prisoners." Panama proposed a "limited interim period" for Gonzalez Urrutia to assume the Government. Regarding this, Ambassador Eloy Alfaro stated that his country will not recognize "any authority other than the elected president" and warned that any continuity of Chavismo would be equivalent to legitimizing electoral fraud. He also demanded the unconditional release of political prisoners and respect for human rights.