• German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul demands US explanation for legal grounds of strikes on Venezuela

BERLIN

Germany’s Green Party chairwoman Franziska Brantner on Monday accused US President Donald Trump of “imperialism in its purest form” following the US attack on Venezuela that led to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro.

The arrested head of state Nicolas Maduro was “undeniably a tyrant. But to threaten a country militarily, without any legitimacy under international law, and to openly declare that you are after its oil resources – that is imperialism in its purest form,” Brantner told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.

After the attack, Trump called on major US oil companies to invest billions of dollars to modernize what he described as Venezuela’s “severely damaged” oil infrastructure, saying the revenues would benefit both the South American country’s economy and the US.

Is “era of great power politics” looming?

Brantner warned that the world could be entering a “new era of great power politics,” in which sovereign states risk becoming “mere spheres of interest for the powerful.”

She said Washington’s behavior could have broader consequences, adding that “Trump's words about Greenland must be seen as a warning sign throughout Europe.”

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly made claims regarding Greenland, citing national security, and reiterated them in an interview following the attack on Venezuela.

Europe must respond decisively to pressure from the US government and “finally show strength,” Brantner said.

“Those who make themselves small in front of Trump will be steamrolled. Those who appear strong will be respected,” she added, saying this applied in particular to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whom she accused of avoiding confrontation over Venezuela.

“However, experience teaches us that Trump only responds to determination,” Brantner said.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he expects the US “not only to observe international law, but also to explain to us and everyone else on what basis this (attack on Venezuela) has been done.”

On Sunday, German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil also criticized the US action, calling the capture of Maduro “very worrying.”

Although Maduro headed an authoritarian regime that clung to power through violence and oppression, Klingbeil said “this cannot justify disregarding international law.”

“International law must be respected. This also applies to the actions of the US,” he added.

Klingbeil’s assessment contrasted with Chancellor Merz, who initially described the legal classification of the US attack as “complex.”

“The legal assessment of the U.S. intervention is complex and requires careful consideration,” Merz said on US social media company X on Saturday. “International law remains the guiding framework.”