Multiple nations condemned recent U.S. military actions in Venezuela during an emergency UN Security Council session on January 5, 2026, following strikes that resulted in the forced extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The operation, conducted on January 3, has sparked widespread diplomatic backlash.
Colombia, newly seated as a 2026-2027 non-permanent Security Council member, led criticisms through Ambassador Leonor Zalabata: "These attacks violate Venezuela's sovereignty and international law. Unilateral force undermines global peace." Venezuela's UN envoy Samuel Moncada demanded Maduro's immediate release, calling the operation "a colonial-era power grab violating the UN Charter."
Brazil's representative Sérgio França Danese warned the intervention sets "a dangerous precedent," while Russia's Vassily Nebenzia accused Washington of "resource-driven imperialism." UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern about the breach of international law, urging adherence to peaceful dialogue.
The emergency debate highlights growing tensions over unilateral military actions, with multiple Security Council members warning of destabilization across Latin America.
