Trump has not ruled out another attack
According to sources cited by the newspaper, the operation did not claim any casualties on the US side and no US military equipment was destroyed. US President Donald Trump, who ordered the intervention, did not rule out another attack on Venezuela after the action if he deemed it necessary.
At the same time, Trump strongly warned Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. In an interview with The Atlantic magazine, he said that if she does not act "properly", she could face even harsher punishment than the detained Maduro.
In a subsequent press conference, the US president claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken to Rodríguez on the phone and she had reportedly expressed a willingness to "do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again".
Trump also declared that the United States would temporarily run Venezuela until power could be "safely and properly" handed over to the country's new leadership.
The colonialist ambitions of the US
Venezuelan authorities have described the crackdown as a gross violation of sovereignty. Defence Minister Padrino López called for the immediate release of Maduro and his wife and warned of the "colonialist ambitions" of the US. He said at least 40 people, including civilians and members of the president's security detail, were killed in the operation.
Meanwhile, Venezuela's Supreme Court has authorised Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to temporarily assume presidential powers, although it has not formally dismissed Maduro. Padrino López supported this decision and announced the activation of armed forces throughout the country in order to protect Venezuelan sovereignty.
Washington has long accused Maduro of narcoterrorism and other serious crimes. Caracas rejects these accusations as politically motivated. The US intervention has also provoked strong reactions abroad. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, described the operation as illegal, but at the same time consistent with US national interests.
In an interview with the TASS news agency, he said that Trump was acting tough, but the goal was to protect US interests. Medvedev added that Latin America has historically been perceived as a "backyard" of the US, and Washington, in his view, is clearly trying to gain control over Venezuela's oil reserves.
He described the motivation of the United States as traditionally simple - the desire for foreign resources. At the same time, he pointed out that if a similar intervention were to take place against a more powerful country, the world would describe it as an act of war.
EU calls for restraint
The European Union has also reacted to the situation. Twenty-six Member States, together with the head of diplomacy, Kaja Kallas - with the exception of Hungary - called for restraint and respect for the will of the Venezuelan people as the only way to restore democracy in the country. In a joint statement, they stressed the need to respect human rights and international humanitarian law.
The Union also called for the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Venezuela and pointed out that its consular services were cooperating to protect the security of EU citizens, including those detained in the country.
The EU also recalled that it shares a common objective with the United States in the fight against transnational organised crime and drug trafficking, which it considers to be a serious global security threat.
The situation in Venezuela thus remains extremely tense, with the international community watching further developments with growing fears of an escalation of the conflict.
(reuters, tasr, New York Post, The Atlantic, mja)
