CARICOM leaders meet
CARICOM says its Conference of Heads of Government met very early on Saturday following reports of military action in Venezuela.
CARICOM says it is actively monitoring the situation which is of grave concern to the region with possible implications for neighbouring countries.
Canadian PM stands by ‘Venezuelan people’s sovereign right’ to build future
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy and prosperity for the Venezuelan people.
Carney notes in a post on a social media that Canada has not recognized the “illegitimate regime of Maduro since it stole the 2018 election.” He says Canada has long supported a “Venezuelan-led transition process that respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people.”
Carney is calling on all parties to respect international law and says Canada stands by the “Venezuelan people’s sovereign right to decide and build their own future.”
Israel’s Netanyahu congratulates Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on his “bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice.”
In a statement posted on his X account, the Israeli leader added “I salute your decisive resolve and the brilliant action of your brave soldiers.”
Security Council schedules emergency meeting Monday
The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on US operations in Venezuela on Monday at 10 a.m.. That’s according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting that has not yet been made public.
The development comes after an emergency request by Colombia and support from China and Russia.
Colombia, which began its two-year term on the council on Friday, had also requested that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres join in briefing the council on the developments. The 15-member council has been surprisingly inactive on the issue of Venezuela for the last several months, even as US posturing and boat strikes in the Caribbean increased.
Starmer says UK will seek a peaceful transition
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said discussions about the “evolving situation” in Venezuela will take place with US counterparts in the coming days and that his government will “shed no tears” about the end of Nicolas Maduro’s regime.
“We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime,” Starmer said in a statement.
Starmer, who reiterated his support for international law, said the UK will “seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people”.
German leader calls for stability
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a statement Saturday that Nicolás Maduro led Venezuela to disaster and noted that Germany, like many other countries, didn’t recognize his presidency after the South American nation’s last election.
Merz said that a legal classification of the U.S. intervention is “complex” and “we will take time” on the matter.
He said that political instability must not arise in Venezuela now and that it’s important to ensure “an orderly transition to a government legitimized by elections”.
Cuban president condemns US attack
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the attack on Venezuela as criminal and warned that Latin America is not the “backyard” where the United States does as it pleases.
“Its attack on Venezuela shatters the stability that has characterized our region for years,” the president said during a rally that drew thousands of people in Havana. “The attack in the early morning hours against a peaceful and noble people can only be described as cowardly, criminal, and treacherous.” He also demanded proof of life for Maduro.
According to the Cuban leader, the attack is not intended to end drug trafficking — for which no evidence implicating Maduro was presented — but rather to seize Venezuela’s oil and natural resources through an act of “state terrorism,” which he likened to the Israeli attack on Gaza.
The rally in Havana took place at the so-called Anti-Imperialist Tribune, located across from the US Embassy.