AFP, Paris

The US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Madruo yesterday sparked alarm across the international community, with allies and foes of Washington and Caracas expressing disquiet.

US President Donald Trump said Nicolas Maduro and his wife would be taken to New York to face federal charges after military strikes and an operation which he described as looking like a “television show”.

The Venezuelan government decried what it termed an “extremely serious military aggression” by Washington and declared a state of emergency.

Countries such as Russia and Iran, which had longstanding ties with Maduro’s government, were quick to condemn the operation but their alarm was also shared by Washington’s allies including France and the EU.

Russia’s foreign ministry said the “act of armed aggression against Venezuela is deeply concerning and condemnable”.

It demanded the US leadership “reconsider its position and release the legally elected president of the sovereign country and his wife”.

China strongly condemned the use of force by the US against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country.

“China firmly opposes such hegemonic behaviour by the US, which seriously violates international law, violates Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean. We urge the US to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and stop violating the sovereignty and security of other countries,” its foreign ministry said.

Iran, which Trump bombed last year, said it “strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Mexico, which Trump has also threatened with military force over drug trafficking, strongly condemned the US military action in Venezuela, saying it “seriously jeopardises regional stability.”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose country neighbours Venezuela, called the US action an “assault on the sovereignty” of Latin America which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva slammed the US attacks as a “serious affront” to Venezuela’s sovereignty, adding that it crossed “an unacceptable line.”

Cuba, a strong ally of Venezuela, denounced “state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people”.

US allies Britain, France and Germany also condemned the attack, saying such action “violates the principle of not resorting to force that underpins international law”.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said the bloc is very closely following the situation in Venezuela. “Any solution must respect international law and the UN Charter.”

However EU said Maduro lacked legitimacy.

Spain offered to mediate in the crisis to find a way to a peaceful solution, while calling for “de-escalation and restraint”.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said all countries should “uphold international law” and added that “the UK was not involved in any way in this operation” as he urged patience in order to “establish the facts”.

In a rare expression of support for the US operation by a major European country, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- a Trump ally -- argued the US military action in Venezuela was “legitimate” and “defensive”.

Among major Latin American nations, Argentina’s President Javier Milei lauded Venezuela’s new “freedom”. Ecuador, Panama also welcomed the US move.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “deeply alarmed” by the US strikes, with his spokesman quoting him as saying it could “constitute a dangerous precedent”.