Closer to Australia, several important South-East Asian nations have stood out for their unequivocal opposition to the American raid. These nations place a high value on the principle of non-interventionism, and oppose a world in which the biggest regional powers can throw their weight around without legal approval.
“Indonesia expresses its grave concern over any actions involving the use or threat of force, which risk setting a dangerous precedent in international relations,” the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum has formed a surprisingly productive relationship with Trump, but is eager to protect Mexican sovereignty.Credit: AP
Indonesia, which has long tried to balance friendly relations with major powers, said the US actions “could undermine regional stability, peace, and the principles of sovereignty and diplomacy”.
Singapore also said it “consistently opposed actions contrary to international law by any parties, including foreign military intervention in any country”.
“Singapore is deeply committed to international law and the principles of the UN Charter that safeguard the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, especially small states,” a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
“Singapore urges all parties to exercise restraint and hopes for a peaceful resolution to the situation in Venezuela in accordance with international law and the principles of the UN Charter.”
Even more vocal was Malaysian President Anwar Ibrahim, who hosted Trump for a successful visit in October but has been a fierce critic of what he sees as western hypocrisy on human rights violations (for example, by condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but not Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza).
“Whatever may be the reasons, the forcible removal of a sitting head of government through external action sets a dangerous precedent,” Anwar said in a statement in which he insisted Maduro and his wife be released without delay.
“It erodes fundamental restraints on the use of power between states and weakens the legal framework that underpins international order.”
Xi Jinping on New Year’s Eve. China is a major consumer of Venezuelan oil.Credit: AP
As for China, it asserted the moral high ground by declaring it was “deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the US against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country”. China also happens to be a big purchaser of Venezuelan oil and sees the nation as an important barrier to US dominance of Latin America.
Two of the US’s other major strategic rivals, Russia and Iran, predictably decried the attack (despite the obvious hypocrisy of Russia condemning the invasion of another sovereign country).
The applauders have tended to come from the political right and have close ties to the Trump administration. Argentinian President Javier Milei, a Trump favourite, said in an interview that Maduro’s ouster was “excellent news for the free world”.
“What we have to understand is that it’s the collapse of the regime of a dictator that was rigging elections, that in the last election was badly defeated and, despite that, he clung on to power,” Milei said.
Ecuador’s right-wing president Daniel Noboa was also elated, writing on social media: “The time is coming for all the narco-Chavista criminals. Their structure will finally collapse across the entire continent.”
Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni stood out among her European counterparts, branding the US raid as ‘legitimate’.Credit: Bloomberg
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni stood out among her European counterparts for branding the raid “legitimate”. While declaring that external military intervention is not usually the way to remove a totalitarian regime, Meloni said the US operation was a “defensive” move to remove an autocratic leader who has fuelled the transnational drug trade.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed the downfall of Maduro, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. And he appeared to spy an opportunity. “Well, what can I say,” Mr. Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv. “If dictators can be dealt with in this way, then the United States of America knows what it should do next.”
Israel also applauded Maduro’s demise, in part because Venezuela has been a close ally of its arch rival Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s “decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers”.
Then there are the equivocators, who appear uneasy with the operation but do not want to get offside with Trump. Anthony Albanese’s statement that he was “monitoring developments” was in line with other leaders who appeared to be playing for time as they urged the de-escalation of tensions.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he wanted to establish the facts and talk to Trump before making a definitive statement while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the legal assessment of the US operation was complex. On Monday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was up to the US to make clear the legal basis for the operation.
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