HAMILTON, Canada

Venezuela on Monday said the latest US military action against Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro was driven by the desire to control its natural resources.

Speaking at the emergency session of the UN Security Council, Venezuela's UN envoy Samuel Moncada said "January 3, 2026, is a date of profound historical significance, not only for Venezuela but for the international system as a whole."

Describing the US military action as "an illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification," Moncada said: "Venezuela comes before this Council today with a deep conviction that international peace can only be sustained if international law is respected without exception, without double standards and without selective interpretations."

He stressed that the latest US action "constitutes a flagrant violation of the UN Charter perpetrated by the US government," warning that "today, it is not only Venezuela's sovereignty that is at stake."

"The credibility of international law, the authority of this organization, and the validity of the principle that no state can set itself up as a judge, party and executor of the world order are also at stake," he said.

Noting Venezuela's natural wealth as the motive behind the attack, he said: "We cannot ignore a central element of this US aggression. Venezuela is the victim of these attacks because of its natural resources."

"Our country's oil, energy, strategic resources and geopolitical position have historically been factors of greed and external pressure," he added.

He argued that using force to control the resources of other states or redesign governments "harks back to the worst practices of colonialism and neocolonialism."

Calling on the Security Council to act, he demanded the US government to "fully respect the immunities of President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Celia Flores, as well as their immediate release and safe return to Venezuela."

"Despite the seriousness of the events in Venezuela, I would like to inform this body and the international community that its institutions are functioning normally, that constitutional order has been preserved," he said.

Colombia, Cuba condemn US action

Meanwhile, in her first address to the UN Security Council as one of the new non-permanent members, Colombia's UN envoy Leonor Zalabata Torres said her country "condemns categorically the events that occurred in the early morning of the third of January in Venezuela," calling them "clear violations of the sovereignty, political independence and the territorial integrity of Venezuela."

"There is no justification whatsoever, under any circumstances, for the unilateral use of force to commit an act of aggression," she said.

"If a country, and particularly a country that is a permanent member of this Council, disregards international law that we designed in San Francisco, what then is the role of this council?" Torres asked.

Cuba's UN envoy Ernesto Soberon Guzman said Washington is pursuing "hegemonic and criminal plans" against Venezuela, condemning "the military aggression of the United States against Venezuela" and reiterating Havana's "absolute support and solidarity with the Venezuelan people."

"Determining the destiny of Venezuela is an exclusive right of its people without external interference. If the US government, lacking any moral authority whatsoever, truly cared about the peace, freedom and justice of Venezuelan men and women, it would not have bombed that territory with absolute disregard for the lives, sovereignty and territorial integrity of that nation," he added.