U.S. strikes on Venezuela spark alarm across Latin America and beyond

The impact of the Trump administration’s stunning airstrikes and “capture” of Nicolás Maduro are already being felt well beyond Venezuela’s borders — the most significant U.S. intervention in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

President Gustavo Petro in neighboring Colombia, announced that security forces were deployed along the border to prepare for a possible refugee influx. Colombia hosts the largest Venezuelan diaspora.

Petro confirmed multiple strikes in Caracas, including a military airbase, other installations, and the legislative building. He condemned the attack as an aggression against Venezuela and Latin America, urging de-escalation.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned the U.S. attack on neighboring Venezuela and the seizure of Maduro, saying the strikes “crossed an unacceptable line” and set a “dangerous precedent.”

Lula said the action evoked “the worst moments of interference” in Latin America and threatened the region’s status as a zone of peace. Despite his past alliance with Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez, relations have cooled since Brazil refused to recognize Maduro’s disputed 2024 election victory, widely dismissed as fraudulent.

Other regional powers, including Chile and Mexico, echoed strong condemnation. Mexico called the strikes a violation of the U.N. Charter and urged an immediate halt to acts of aggression. In a Fox News interview on Saturday, President Trump said Mexico was run by drug cartels and he said quote “something is gonna have to be done with Mexico.”

Cuba and Nicaragua — two of Venezuela’s closest allies — are closely monitoring the crisis. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel labeled the U.S. action “state terrorism” and called for urgent international intervention.

Cuba, facing its most severe economic crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union, relies heavily on Venezuelan oil. Any disruption could worsen an already dire situation, and the government in Havana – which has been in power since 1959 – has been watching the unfolding situation closely.

What’s next: the global stage

Close allies China and Russia have also reacted. Russia condemned the strikes, reaffirming solidarity with the Venezuelan people. In a statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry called the Trump administration’s pretext for attacking Venezuela unfounded and said if the reports of Maduro’s capture were true, the U.S. action marked an “unacceptable assault” on Venezuela’s sovereignty. 

Despite such expressions of support, Moscow has stopped short of challenging the U.S. more forcefully amid a months-long pressure campaign by the Trump administration against the Venezuelan leadership.

China said it strongly opposed the U.S. action condemning the move as a violation of international law. In a statement, the foreign ministry said Beijing was “deeply shocked” by what it called Washington’s “blatant use of force” against a sovereign state, arguing it infringed Venezuela’s sovereignty and threatened peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the E.U. supports “a peaceful and democratic transition” in Venezuela. But she stopped short of criticizing the U.S. attack.

“We stand by the Venezuelan people and support a peaceful and democratic transition,” she said,adding that any solution must respect international law and the U.N. Charter.

Venezuela has called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, raising questions about the legality of the U.S. operation.

In a statement the U.N.’s Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply alarmed” by the overnight developments, expressing concern about “that international law hasn’t been respected.”