The United States defended its operation to apprehend Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who are facing indictments in the U.S. The operation has drawn criticism from allies of Venezuela, including Russia and China, who are demanding their release.
US Operation to Apprehend Maduro and Flores
US Ambassador Mike Waltz described the operation as a “surgical law enforcement operation facilitated by the US military against two indicted fugitives of American justice, narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated there is no war against Venezuela or its people, and the U.S. is not occupying the country.
Waltz added that maintaining control over Venezuela’s substantial energy reserves is a key concern, stating, “you cannot continue to have the largest energy reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the United States.”
Britain, a U.S. ally, called for a “safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government” in Venezuela, with its acting UN representative, James Kariuki, asserting that Venezuelans “deserve a government which reflects their vote at the ballot box.”
Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia condemned the U.S. operation as a “harbinger of a turn back to the era of lawlessness and US domination by force,” and urged the U.S. to abandon “double standards.”
Venezuela’s representative Samuel Moncada requested the Security Council’s support in demanding the United States “fully respect the immunities of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.”
Maduro and Flores appeared in a New York court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
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