European Union foreign policy chief Caja Callas called for “restraint by all actors” and appealed for respect for international law in a statement Sunday night as the United States remains vague about its future plans for Venezuela after the dramatic ouster of President Nicolas Maduro.
The statement, led by Karas, was supported by 26 of the EU’s 27 member states, with only Hungary opposed. Budapest is a close ally of US President Donald Trump, who over the weekend described the military operation that ousted Maduro as “amazing” and suggested the US could take interim control of Venezuela without specifying an end date.
“The EU recalls that the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations must be observed under all circumstances,” the statement said. “The EU calls for calm and restraint from all parties to avoid escalation and ensure a peaceful resolution of the crisis.”
He added: “Respecting the will of the Venezuelan people remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy and resolve the current crisis.”
The statement marks the closest the bloc has come to a joint position after a string of vague and often contradictory statements by EU leaders over the weekend.
Spain’s Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected the attack that ousted President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday as a “violation of international law,” leading the loudest criticism along with Latin American countries, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was more cautious.
Merz said on Saturday that the legal assessment behind the US intervention was “complex and requires careful consideration” and stressed that political efforts should be directed towards a democratic transition.
French President Emmanuel Macron did not comment on the details of the US Delta Force operation, but acknowledged the joy of the Venezuelan people after the ouster of President Maduro and his “dictatorship.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is seen as more ideologically aligned with President Trump, supported the arguments put forward by the US government and suggested that intervention in state apparatuses that facilitate drug trafficking was “justified”.
“Foreign military action is not the way to end totalitarian regimes,” he said in a statement on Saturday, pointing to a legitimate “defensive intervention against hybrid attacks.”
The United States captured Mr. Maduro and his wife, Syria Flores, from a fortified compound in Caracas on Saturday in a spectacular military operation. The two are currently being held in a New York prison on US charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.
Europe treads a fine line as US remains ambiguous about Venezuela’s future
While the EU reiterated that Venezuela’s future depends entirely on the will of its people, the US government remained unclear on what that would look like.
At a press conference on Saturday, President Trump said the United States would govern Venezuela on an interim basis until a “safe, appropriate and prudent” transition of power is established, without providing a deadline or details of actual practices.
He also suggested that Maria Colina Machado, the leading voice of Venezuela’s opposition and Maduro’s fiercest critic, was not in a position to lead a transitional government. President Trump did not say when an election would be held.
Meanwhile, the country’s management remains largely in the hands of Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president and de facto leader. The Trump administration has insisted it will “do whatever” the U.S. demands, despite taking a defiant tone in a speech on Saturday calling for Maduro’s release.
“What is being committed against Venezuela is an atrocity that violates international law,” she said. “History and justice will reward the extremists who promoted this armed invasion.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that the United States will base its assessments on actions, not words. “We’re going to judge them based on their actions, not what they’re saying publicly. We’re going to figure it out,” he told CBS News.
He argued that the United States has leverage over the country through sanctions and oil, and that Trump has not ruled out any scenario in which the country fails to cut ties with drug traffickers, but warned that further attacks could follow if the alleged drug smuggling vessels continue to operate in the Caribbean.
Rubio also said it would be difficult to give a timeline for new elections, arguing that most of Venezuela’s opposition is outside the country and that short-term challenges need to be addressed first.