Von der Leyen, after Maduro’s capture and US attacks on Venezuela: “We support a peaceful transition”

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenspoke out on the attack on USA in Venezuela produced on the last morning.

“We support the people of Venezuela and a peaceful and democratic transition. We ensure that the citizens of EU of the country can count on all our support. We are closely monitoring the situation Venezuela. Any solution must respect international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” said the European leader.

The Trump executive began bombing Venezuela’s strategic enclaves in the early hours of Saturday. Some of the locations attacked were La Carlota, the main base of the Venezuelan Air Force; Fuerte Tiuna, the military megacomplex where, among other things, the Venezuelan Ministry of Defense and the residence of senior military commanders are located; La Guaira, a neighboring state where the main Venezuelan port and airport are located; the Higuerote airfield and the Cuartel de la Montaña, from where former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez led the coup.

In addition, the Trump executive claims to have captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in an operation described as “brilliant” by the United States. “The United States of America successfully carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who, along with his wife, was captured and transferred out of the country,” the American president wrote in a message on his Truth Social account.

The president held a press conference in his mansion in Mar-a-Lago (Florida) at eleven a.m. this Saturday (4 p.m. GMT) to provide further information on the operation carried out by American forces.

Global reactions

For his part, the President of the European Council, António Costa, said that he was following the situation in Venezuela “with great concern” and that he supported the work of Kallas and the member states “to guarantee the security of European citizens in the country”, according to Efe.

On the other hand, several European countries have asked their citizens to exercise caution and offered consular assistance.

The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, assured this Saturday that the security of its citizens “is an absolute priority” and indicated that its embassy in Bogotá, responsible for Venezuela, as well as its services in the Belgian capital, “are fully mobilized”.

The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, also offered consular assistance to Italians present in Venezuela, numbering around 160,000, most of whom have dual nationality due to their Italian ancestry.

In the Netherlands, Prime Minister Dick Schoof focused on security in the region, particularly in the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire.

“Security in the region is of great importance for Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. We maintain close contacts and I have informed Prime Ministers Eman and Pisas as well as Governor Soliano that they and the people of the islands can count on our support in these times of uncertainty,” he said through social networks.

President Donald Trump announced that the United States had carried out “a successful, large-scale attack on Venezuela” on Saturday and said it had captured the Venezuelan president and his wife and removed them from the country.

Trump confirmed the attack hours after explosions and military aircraft flyovers were reported in Caracas and other parts of the country.

The US Secretary of State assured that Maduro will face a criminal trial in the United States and that now that the Venezuelan leader has been captured, no further military action is expected in the country, according to Republican Senator Mike Lee after a conversation.