US special forces carried out a sudden strike on Saturday against Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and have captured its President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
US President Trump described the attack as “a large-scale strike against Venezuela” which involved “great troops and great people”. The strike has been written on the walls for some time after the US administration had accused Venezuela for drugs smuggling into the US and started to attack Venezuelan small vessels and intercepting tankers with Venezuelan crude oil in international water.
The strikes against Venezuelan vessels were considered by legal experts as extra-judicial killings. The military operation this morning was ordered by Trump without the approval of the Congress. When asked if he had sought congressional authority for the operation, he replied said he would address those matters during a news conference later today at his private residence in Florida.
In practice, the US declared war against Venezuela and accused Maduro of running a violent drug organization. Following Saturday's attack, Maduro's government accused the US of trying to "take over Venezuela's strategic resources, especially its oil and minerals, and forcibly try to break the country's political independence”.
The only EU reaction so far is a tweet on X by High Representative Kaja Kallas, responsible for EU foreign affairs and security policy. She twitted that she had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU's Ambassador in Caracas and that the EU is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela.
Maduro lacked legitimacy after he was reelected after elections in 2024 that were described as neither free nor fair. The EU supported a recount of the votes but never a foreign military intervention or violent takeover of power.
““The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition,” Kallas twitted. “Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint. The safety of EU citizens in the country is our top priority.”
