Following the military operation in Venezuela in which the US Forces seized President Nicolás Maduro Moros after conducting a large scale strike in Caracas on January 3, 2026, US President Donald John Trump has warned Mexico, Cuba and Colombia that they, too, could face US action. As the US has taken control of Venezuela, he has made it clear that Washington DC would not compromise with those three Latin American countries on the issues of drug trafficking and illegal immigration. The President defended his move to capture the Venezuelan President, saying that he had repeatedly warned Caracas about drug trafficking and terrorism. However, President Maduro ignored his warning, prompting Washington DC to use force.

Speaking at a press conference on January 4, President Trump said that Mexico would have to face the consequences, if it failed to stop the influx of refugees into the US. It may be noted that Trump’s relationship with his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is not so good mainly because of the former’s Tariff Policy. Interestingly, the US President recently stressed: “We are very friendly with her, she is a good woman. But the cartels are running Mexico – she’s not running Mexico.” However, President Pardo has strongly condemned the US’ raid of Venezuela, stating that Washington DC should cease “all acts of aggression against the Venezuelan Government and people“.

Earlier, President Trump called his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego an “illegal drug leader” and a “narco-terrorist”, announcing that the US would slash funding to Bogota. The President added: “He (Petro) has cocaine mills, he has factories where he makes cocaine. And yeah, I think I stick by my first statement: He’s making cocaine. They are sending it to the United States. So, he does have to watch his ass.”

The US President also bashed Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, calling his country a “failing nation“. He stated: “Cuba, as you know, is not doing very well right now. That system has not been a very good one for Cuba. The people there have suffered for many, many years, and I think Cuba is going to be something we will end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now.” Trump further said: “It’s very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we want to also help the people that were forced out of Cuba and living in this country.”

Meanwhile, China, Russia, Iran, Brazil and some other countries strongly condemned the detention of President Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores by the US Forces who brought the couple to New York on January 3, 2026. Beijing claimed that the US disregarded internal law by carrying out the military operation in Venezuela. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry of China stressed that this sort of incident would create an environment of instability in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Russia and Iran, too, joined the chorus, describing the US military operation as illegal.

In fact, China has issued two statements since the attack on Venezuela. In the first statement issued on January 3 evening, Beijing demanded the immediate release of President Maduro and his wife, stating that the US must ensure that the Venezuelan Government does not fall under any circumstances. On January 4 morning, Beijing issued the second one, mentioning: “China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the US’ blatant use of force against a sovereign state and its action against its President. Such hegemonic behaviour by the US seriously violates international law, infringes upon Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean. China firmly opposes it.“

Russia also called for the immediate release of President Maduro and his wife from US custody. In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We are extremely concerned by reports that the President of Venezuela Maduro and his spouse were forcibly taken out of the country during today’s aggressive actions by the US. We demand immediate clarification of these reports. If such actions did in fact take place, they represent an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an independent state, the respect for which is a fundamental principle of international law.“

For his part, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, wrote on X: “What is important is when one realises an enemy wants to force something on one’s government or nation with false claims, they must stand firmly against that enemy. We would not give in to them.” Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it “strongly condemns the American military attack on Venezuela and the flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country“.

As expected, the Western allies of the US have backed President Trump’s move, with Kaja Kallas, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, stating that the bloc “calls for restraint after the latest events in Venezuela“. In a post on X, Kallas wrote: “The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected.“

Meanwhile,

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin

Contact us: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das