SPAIN has offered to mediate between the US and Venezuela after President Maduro was ‘captured’ and flown out of the country by US forces on Saturday.
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign affairs said in a statement it was available to “act as an intermediary” as tensions flared between the American countries in the aftermath of the raid.
Donald Trump said Venezuela’s President and his wife were seized by a Delta Force team after US airstrikes destroyed military facilities in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
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In remarks to the New York Times, the US president described the operation as a resounding success involving “a lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people.”
“It was a brilliant operation, actually,” he added.
According to senior Trump administration figures, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Maduro was liable to “stand trial on criminal charges in the US.”
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said he was coordinating closely with the EU while maintaining contact with the Spanish Embassy in Caracas to monitor the situation of Spanish residents in Venezuela.
Spanish authorities stressed in a statement they never recognised the results of the elections held in Venezuela in July last year – which were mired in controversy amid claims of procedural irregularities after Maduro was elected for a third term with more than 51% of the national vote.
Spain’s government added it would continue to welcome Venezuelan political refugees, having received roughly 150,000 Venezuelans in recent years, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).
The statement insisted Spain was ready to step up to “restore peace” in the wake of Saturday’s attacks.
The raid has sparked a flurry of reactions worldwide, with several governments urging restraint as others condemned the attack.
Sir Keir Starmer said Britain was not involved in the operation, stressing N.10’s focus was on the 500 British nationals living in Venezuela.
“I always say and believe we should all uphold international law,” he added.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top foreign policy official and a vice-president of the Commission, said: “The EU has repatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition.
“Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint.”
Meanwhile, Argentine president Javier Milei posted a news report of the operation on X, captioning it “Freedom advances.”
The Iranian Foreign Minister condemned the raid, branding it a “flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of [Venezuela].”
Russian officials echoed the claims by describing the attack as motivated by “ideological animosity.”
Since September last year, US forces have targeted a series of small vessels allegedly originating from Venezuela in what Trump described as an effort to smother drug trafficking routes into the US.
More than 100 people have died in at least 30 confirmed maritime strikes against targets the US government described as part of ‘narco-terrorist’ networks – although it has not yet released any verifiable evidence for many of the strikes.
The US Treasury has also sanctioned multiple Venezuelan shipping companies and at least six crude oil supertankers alleged to be involved in deceptive shipping practices.
In December last year, US forces seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast that the Trump administration claimed was carrying Venezuelan oil in violation of sanctions.
Trump also ordered “a total and complete blockade” of all US-sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, a move aimed at severing the country’s main economic lifeline.
The decision resulted in a further escalation of tensions between Trump and Maduro, with the Venezuelan president declaring he was “open to US talks” shortly before the attacks on Saturday morning.
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