Tuesday Feb 24, 2026
Tuesday Feb 24, 2026
Monday, 5 January 2026 04:43 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
The United Nations Security Council is set to meet today following US military action in Venezuela that led to the removal of President Nicolás Maduro, an operation the UN Secretary-General has warned could set “a dangerous precedent.”
The meeting of the 15-member council was requested by Colombia with the support of Russia and China, diplomats said. The council has already held two sessions, in October and December, as tensions between the US and Venezuela intensified.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington would take charge of Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” though he did not outline how such oversight would be exercised.
In a letter to the United Nations Security Council, Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada accused Washington of waging “a colonial war aimed at destroying our republican form of Government, freely chosen by our people,” and of seeking to impose “a puppet Government that allows the plundering of our natural resources, including the world’s largest oil reserves.”
Moncada said the action breached the UN Charter, citing its provision that “all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking through his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, said the US operation constituted “a dangerous precedent.” Dujarric said the Secretary-General “continues to emphasise the importance of full respect – by all – of international law, including the UN Charter,” and was “deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.”
The Trump administration has, for months, expanded military operations in the region, targeting suspected drug trafficking vessels off Venezuela’s coast and across the Pacific. The US last month announced a blockade of vessels subject to sanctions and intercepted two tankers carrying Venezuelan crude.
Washington has previously defended its actions by invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows self-defence measures provided the Security Council is informed.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz rejected claims of regime change, writing on X: “This is not regime change this is justice,” and describing Maduro as “an indicted, illegitimate dictator that led a declared Narco-terrorism organisation responsible for killing American citizens.”
