NEW YORK: The United States has defended its recent military operation in Venezuela during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The session was convened following the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a US-led operation in the country.
Addressing the council, US Ambassador Mike Waltz said President Donald Trump had pursued diplomatic channels and offered Maduro opportunities to de-escalate tensions, but these efforts were rejected. He maintained that the operation was carried out only after diplomacy failed.
Waltz stressed that the United States was not at war with Venezuela or its people and had no intention of occupying the country. He described the action as a “legal operation” aimed at bringing President Maduro and his wife, whom he referred to as suspects in narco-terrorism, to justice.
According to the US envoy, the operation was necessary to protect American citizens from the threat of drug trafficking and to curb what he termed narco-terrorism. He added that the United States seeks peace, freedom, and prosperity for the Venezuelan people.
However, the emergency session highlighted Washington’s growing diplomatic isolation. Both allied and rival nations largely united in condemning the US action as a clear violation of international law.
A statement from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, read out during the meeting, described the US operation as a dangerous precedent and emphasized that international legal norms had not been respected.
Russia, China, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, and several other countries labeled the US action as an act of aggression. Even European allies, while using restrained language, expressed clear concern and criticized the breach of international law.
