Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has publicly condemned the United States’ military operation in Venezuela as a blatant violation of international law and a symptom of what he described as the erosion of the post-World War II global order. Writing on social media, Fico asserted that powerful states now act without regard for the UN Charter’s principles, conducting military force without Security Council authorization and pursuing their own interests at the expense of smaller nations’ sovereignty.
Fico accused the US of sidelining international law, saying great powers now do “whatever they want” and undermining norms that once restrained unilateral uses of force. He tied his criticism to past global crises, including Iraq and Kosovo, and questioned whether the European Union would respond with consistent condemnation.
The controversy stems from a major US military strike in Caracas in early January that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. US President Donald Trump later confirmed the operation and said the United States would oversee a transitional period in Venezuela, arguing the action was necessary to enforce long-standing criminal indictments against Maduro.
International response has been swift and unusually broad, with numerous governments and international bodies criticizing the strike as a breach of the UN Charter’s core prohibition on the use of force against another state’s territorial integrity and political independence. The UN Human Rights Office said the intervention makes the world less safe and shows powerful states can act with impunity, undermining the rules-based order.
At emergency United Nations Security Council meetings, countries including Brazil, China, Russia, Cuba and South Africa described the attack as illegal aggression and a dangerous precedent that erodes respect for sovereignty; they warned that unilateral military action weakens multilateral conflict resolution mechanisms.
Legal experts note that without Security Council authorization or consent from Caracas, the operation challenges established principles of sovereignty and head-of-state immunity under international law. Article 2(4) of the UN Charter generally bars the use of force absent self-defense or a council mandate, and critics say criminal indictments are not a recognized legal basis for such military action.
The capture has significant legal and diplomatic fallout. Maduro appeared in a New York federal court denying the charges and asserting his innocence, with his defense planning motions to dismiss based on immunity and the legality of his removal.
World leaders have also weighed in: some European governments have called for restraint and respect for the UN Charter, while Latin American neighbors are preparing for potential instability on borders.