How countries reacted to US capture of Venezuela's Maduro

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Saturday he ordered the deployment of military forces to the Venezuelan border, following US strikes that, according to Donald Trump, ended with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The EU, meanwhile, called for "restraint" and respect for international law, with Spain offering to mediate in the crisis. Russia and other allies of Venezuela condemned the strikes.

Colombia's Petro described Washington's actions as an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America and said they would result in a humanitarian crisis

While proposing that the situation could be resolved through "dialogue," the leftist president said on X that he had also ordered the "deployment of the security forces" to the Venezuelan border.

Petro made no mention of Maduro's capture, despite the Venezuelan leader being one of his government's closest allies in the region.

Earlier, the Colombian leader had requested an "immediate" meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the UN to "establish the international legality of the aggression" by the United States.

Colombia holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council this year, which led to its call for the body to be convened.

Petro has been a vocal critic of military deployments ordered by Trump in the Caribbean to fight alleged drug trafficking vessels.

Petro added in other posts to social media that he had put measures in place to "preserve stability at the border."

An AFP reporter observed normal conditions at the main crossing between the two countries.

Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said the security forces had activated "all capacities" to prevent "any attempted terrorist attack" at the border by illegal groups such as the National Liberation Army.

As part of his anti-drug strategy, Trump recently said he would not rule out striking drug-production laboratories in Colombia, which Petro condemned as a threat of invasion at the time.

The EU said international law had to be respected.

"The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition" in Venezuela, the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas wrote on X after speaking with her US counterpart Marco Rubio.

"Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint," she wrote.

Kallas said the EU was closely monitoring the fast-moving situation and that she had spoken to the bloc's envoy to Venezuela, with the safety of EU citizens "our top priority."

The EU has not recognised the results of the disputed 2024 election that handed Maduro a third term in power, and has slapped sanctions on dozens of Venezuelan officials for undermining democracy in the country.

The 27-nation bloc has stopped short, however, of formally recognising opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as Venezuela's rightful leader, as the United States has done.

Gonzalez Urrutia ran as a last-minute stand-in for opposition figurehead Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from contesting last year's election.

After the vote, Gonzalez Urrutia fled Venezuela for Madrid - which offered to act as mediator after Maduro's capture on Saturday.

Questions sent to the Maltese Foreign Ministry have not been answered by the time of writing.

Sources close to the government, however, told Times of Malta that EU foreign ministers, under the leadership of top diplomat Kaja Kallas, are working to issue a joint statement.

Iran, which has close links with oil-rich Venezuela, said it "strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Russia also condemned what it called a "deeply concerning and condemnable" act of armed aggression.

"The pretexts used to justify such actions are untenable. Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism," Russia's foreign ministry said.