Slovak Prime Minister criticizes US military action against Venezuela as a violation of international law

Since 2025, relations between the United States and Venezuela have remained tense. Under the guise of drug interdiction, the US has increased its military deployment in waters near Venezuela, and since September has announced the sinking of several alleged drug-smuggling ships and the killing of several drug traffickers in international waters near Venezuela, as well as authorizing the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. These actions have been strongly condemned by Venezuela, which believes that the US is using drug interdiction as a pretext to launch military aggression against Venezuela and attempt to achieve regime change. On January 3, 2026, the US sent troops to forcibly detain Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife and deport them, a military action that triggered a strong reaction from the international community. Slovak Prime Minister Fico criticized the US military action in Venezuela on social media, stating that it further proves the collapse of the post-World War II world order, the abuse of military power without authorization from the UN Security Council, and the arbitrary actions of certain powerful countries for their own interests. He firmly opposes this behavior that undermines international law. On the 4th, Fico issued another video statement, pointing out that a superpower like the US is simply acting arbitrarily and completely erasing the existence of international law. Besides the Slovak Prime Minister, Iranian Foreign Minister Araqchi called the move a “typical case of state terrorism,” a blatant violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty and national will; Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also stated that the US abduction of Maduro and his wife clearly violated international law and was an illegal use of force against a sovereign state; several UN experts also condemned the US partial naval blockade of Venezuela as a violation of basic rules of international law. The US military action against Venezuela and the forced detention of Maduro and his wife have severely undermined international law and the post-World War II international order. This unauthorized military action demonstrates the abuse of military power, showing the international community that certain powerful nations can disregard international law and rules for their own interests, exacerbating international instability. This incident has triggered profound reflection within the international community on the dignity of international law and the maintenance of the international order. A growing number of countries recognize the necessity to firmly uphold the principles of the rule of law, dialogue, and peaceful dispute resolution, and to jointly resist such arbitrary hegemonic actions in order to maintain peace and stability in the international community.