Mixed Reactions Trail US Capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro 

By: Olufemi Orunsola 

A cacophony of reactions,blending a barrage of criticisms and pockets of commendations have greeted the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife by US Special Forces on Saturday over drugs peddling and terrorism financing charges. 

Leading the criticism, Asian power block, China has condemned the action of the US, describing it as as a "blatant use of force against a sovereign state" and the person of Maduro.

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered from CNN's Aditi Sangal that China condemned the action of the United States’ action in Venezuela via a statement issued by the foreign ministry.

“China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president, (Nicolás Maduro),” the ministry’s spokesperson said in a post on X.

“Such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region. China firmly opposes it. We call on the U.S. to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries’ sovereignty and security,” the spokesperson added.

In another global stand, United Nations Chief has expressed concerns over "worrying implications" of US military action

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has reportedly said that he is “deeply alarmed” by the United States’ military action in Venezuela. He believes it has “potential worrying implications for the region,” Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres’ spokesperson added.

“Independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent,” Dujarric said in a statement. “The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter.”

The UN chief is “deeply concerned” that the rules of international law have not been respected, Dujarric added.

Similarly, Cuban President, Miguel Díaz-Canel slammed what he called a “criminal” attack by the US on Venezuela in a post on X. “Cuba denounces and urgently demands the reaction of the international community against the criminal attack by the US on Venezuela. Our zone of peace is being brutally assaulted,” he said.

On his own part, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, also on X, quoted a passage from the UN Charter which said member states must refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of another state. She also shared a statement which said her government “strongly condemns and rejects” the attack.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said his country is monitoring the situation in neighboring Venezuela with deep concern.

“The Colombian Government rejects any unilateral military action that could aggravate the situation or put the civilian population at risk,” he wrote on X.

Chile’s outgoing President Gabriel Boric said, also on X, that his government expresses “concern and condemnation” of the US attack. “The Venezuelan crisis must be resolved through dialogue and the support of multilateralism, and not through violence or foreign interference.

Meanwhile, Argentine President Javier Milei, an ally of US President Donald Trump, appeared to welcome the capture of Venezuela’s leader with a terse message on X: “Freedom advances! Long live freedom, damn it!”

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa also welcomed the news, writing on X: “To all the narco Chavista criminals, your time is coming. Your structure will completely collapse across the entire continent.” He also urged Venezuela’s opposition leaders and the public to reclaim the country.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a US ally says, "Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump for your bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice. I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers."

French President, Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, "The transition to come must be peaceful, democratic, and respectful of the will of the Venezuelan people. We hope that President Edmundo González Urrutia, elected in 2024, will be able to ensure this transition as quickly as possible."

Taking a more conventional look at the development, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz observed that "The legal assessment of the U.S. operation is complex and "we will take our time" to evaluate it, adding that principles of international law must apply. He urged that "a transition to a government legitimised by elections must be ensured" and warned that "political instability must not arise in Venezuela".

On the part of Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, he was categorical about Spanish non recognition of Maduro's reign. 

He wrote on X, "Spain did not recognize the Maduro regime. But neither will it recognize an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence. "

For the records, the cases against the now captured leader stress that allegedly there was decades-long conspiracy in which Maduro and his top lieutenants provided political and military protection for narco-terrorists while stealing billions of dollars from the country.”

Maduro has been accused to have "....very deliberately deployed cocaine as a weapon” and “expressly intended to flood the United States with cocaine in order to undermine the health and wellbeing of our nation,” Geoffrey Berman, who at the time was the US Attorney in the Southern District in New York, had said in a statement.

Prosecutors also alleged that Maduro led a violent cartel, even as he ascended to power. More than a dozen others were charged alongside Maduro, including Venezuelan government and intelligence officials and members of rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces.

It was also emphasized that in November 2025, President Donald Trump had reached out to and had a warning conversation with Maduro during which the US president repeatedly stressed to Maduro that “it would be in his best interest” to step down and leave the country, the other official said, calling the conversation “pretty much an ultimatum.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was reportedly one of the US officials who witnessed that call between Maduro and Trump.

While it’s unclear where authorities will hold Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro safely pending a trial, the charges against him – stemming from New York – allow law enforcement to keep the Venezuelan president in a tightly secured facility in Brooklyn, New York.

New York federal prison is specially equipped for high-risk people

The Metropolitan Detention Center, which secured the notorious cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán prior to his life sentence, has also been the temporary home to Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ghislaine Maxwell, R. Kelly and Sam Bankman-Fried.

While the holding facility is specially equipped for holding high-risk people, it remains the only federal correction center for the nation’s largest city after the Bureau of Prisons closed its Manhattan complex following Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide inside — one that drew public scrutiny to the issue-plagued detention facility.

Special measures were made at the facility to house El Chapo, who had previously escaped from prisons in Mexico, several years ago. The co-founder of his Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García, was also held at the facility before pleading guilty to related charges.

Still, it remains unclear if the US will risk holding the president of another country in such a densely populated metropolitan area, which adds a bevy o6f safety concerns that extend beyond the inmates and detention staff.