The capture by the US army of Nicolas Maduro, in power since 2013, through a rapid and spectacular military operation, has suddenly raised the temperature in the chancelleries of international leaders.
Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the military at the border of Venezuela and change the political regime in the rich South American country through a military action raises many questions from the perspective of international law, but the answers must be sought in the crisis provoked within the MAGA movement by the Epstein File.
The American president needed a major operation to divert public attention from internal issues, proposing a major topic of debate, both domestically and internationally.
The Chavez-Maduro dictatorship has controlled Venezuela since 1999, for over a quarter of a century, during which any form of political or civic opposition has been annihilated, protests have been suppressed with violence, and prisons filled with those who opposed the authoritarian regime inspired by communism.
During this period, the population of nearly 30 million inhabitants has become impoverished, although Venezuela is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of oil reserves, natural gas, critical minerals, and precious metals.
The value of raw material resources exceeds $14 trillion, according to some estimates, making it richer in oil than Saudi Arabia.
Challenge to Russia and China
The change of the political regime in Venezuela through a military operation represents a challenge to Russia and China. The Kremlin had a special relationship with Maduro, helping Putin to illegally sell oil on the international market, hosting the Kremlin's phantom fleet of tankers.
On the other hand, China offered Venezuela a $60 billion loan to finance the dictatorial regime in Caracas, to be paid with oil.
Furthermore, Beijing has huge investments in oil extraction technology, as well as in the exploitation of critical minerals and precious metals.
The US intervention in Venezuela represents a severe strategic blow against the global interests of China and Russia.
Only someone who does not understand international dynamics can believe that there was an agreement between the US, Russia, and China regarding the change of Maduro, with America offering Ukraine to Putin in exchange.
Such agreements, even if made, would be destroyed by the whirlwind of events set in motion by military actions with clear objectives, uncertain unfolding, and surprising effects.
An eloquent example in this regard is the Malta summit at the end of November 1989 between George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev. The meeting led to the end of the Cold War but also to the collapse of the Soviet Union, something Gorbachev did not want, did not foresee, and was not prepared for.
Another argument that Trump did not negotiate anything with Putin regarding Venezuela is the alert issued by the US State Department, a few hours before the start of military operations, to American citizens, urgently advising them to leave Russia.
The alert indicates that Washington expects reprisals from the Kremlin following the military intervention in Venezuela.
Kremlin is Concerned
Both American legislation and international law discourage and prohibit the change of a country's political regime through the interference of a foreign power and military force.
- Why the removal of Nicolas Maduro by Trump is unprecedented
- Trump attacked Venezuela and arrested its president. Is it legal?
Therefore, Donald Trump's decision clearly violates the UN Charter, as well as US laws, which indicate that a president cannot initiate a military conflict without Congress approval.
Trump masked the attack on Venezuela as an anti-drug operation, claiming that the Maduro regime protects trafficking networks that export prohibited substances to the US territory.
Despite all the chaos caused by Trump in America and the world, it must be considered that he is a democratically elected president, with a constitutional mandate, supported by a political majority, also formed through free elections.
As the leader of the most powerful democracy in the world, whether he acted legally or illegally, it remains for the US justice system to pronounce, to remove from power a dictator who terrorized his people, impoverished them, killed innocent people to perpetuate himself in power.
"Today, the United States has committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This has aroused deep concern and condemnation," announced Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister.
"The pretexts invoked to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological hostility has prevailed over pragmatic considerations, as well as over the desire to build relationships based on trust and predictability," the official added.
A New Humiliation for Putin
The American military operation was carefully prepared in recent weeks and executed with precision, most likely achieving its goal.
The detention of Maduro by American special forces was received with joy in Caracas.
María Corina Machado, the opposition leader, a respected political figure in Venezuela, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, is likely to be the one with the best chances to lead the country at least until the first free elections after 2000.
Machado has been in hiding in recent years, being on Maduro's blacklist. She has a close connection with Donald Trump, who has supported her through several public statements.
The US military intervention has triggered a series of events that will impact the entire world.
In the coming days, China will have a response, losing influence in South America being a major failure for Xi Jinping.
Also, the relationship between Trump and Putin has entered a new phase, with the Kremlin's distrust of the US intensifying, with immediate effects on the military conflict in Ukraine.
For the Russian army, the success and precision with which American troops acted in Venezuela represent a stinging lesson and a new humiliation that reveals major deficiencies in planning, resources, command, and execution by the Kremlin.
Four years ago, Putin probably envisioned a similar action against Kiev, which, however, resulted in a huge failure leading to a four-year war and the destruction of Russia.