Slovak PM condemns America’s attack on Venezuela

(MENAFN) Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has sharply criticized the United States over its military operation in Venezuela, accusing Washington of acting above the law and dismantling the foundations of international legal order in pursuit of natural resources. He argued that powerful states now operate without restraint, undermining global rules with impunity.

U.S. forces carried out a raid in Caracas on Saturday, seizing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the country’s capital. The two were later taken to the United States, where they were charged with drug trafficking and entered not guilty pleas in a New York court on Monday. Venezuelan authorities condemned the operation as an “imperialist attack,” asserting that it was designed to strip the country of its resources.

Fico issued a strong public statement denouncing the operation, declaring: “I must unequivocally condemn and reject this latest American oil adventure… even at the cost that my clear and consistent stance may temporarily worsen Slovak-American relations.” He accused Washington of disregarding legal norms altogether, adding: “Great powers today literally do whatever they want. They have completely erased the existence of international law and the necessity of complying with it.”

The Slovak leader described Maduro’s detention as “kidnapping,” and said the response from global institutions demonstrated their growing irrelevance. “The UN is on its knees. Without reform and a real strengthening of its powers, the UNSC is completely toothless,” he said. “We can only watch in disbelief as American elite units kidnap the president of a sovereign country and the US announces it will rule over 30 million Venezuelans.”

The U.S. operation sparked sharp criticism during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, with numerous countries warning that the move sets a dangerous international precedent. Objections also came from U.S. allies, including Mexico and Denmark, both of which have recently faced threats from Washington—Mexico over alleged drug trafficking and Denmark over its refusal to relinquish Greenland, a self-governing territory prized for its resources and Arctic strategic position.

Despite the widespread backlash and questions surrounding the legality of the operation, which was conducted without Security Council authorization, the UNSC failed to reach a unified response. Observers point to the United States’ permanent membership and veto power as the key reason any formal condemnation was blocked. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz defended the action as a legitimate “law enforcement” operation against an “illegitimate” leader, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter on self-defense.

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