Ukrainians divided over U.S. capture of Venezuela's president

Ukrainian officials and commentators are divided over the United States' capture of Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, with President Volodymyr Zelensky welcoming the liberation of Venezuelans from authoritarianism while stopping short of endorsing the U.S. military operation.

Mr. Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv, "Well, what can I say. If dictators can be dealt with in this way, then the United States of America knows what it should do next." Ukraine's foreign minister, Adnrii Sybiha, wrote on X that the freeing of a country from despotism was consistent with Ukraine's defence of national freedom and said Mr.

Maduro's government "has violated all such principles in every respect." At the same time, commentators noted a perceived double standard because Ukraine has spent four years asking nations to condemn Russia. Some analysts warned the American action could help Russia justify harsher moves in its neighbourhood: Mykola Bielieskov wrote that a "normalization of the right of the strong" would be a problem for Ukraine, and MP Mykola Knizhytsky said the attack risked dividing the world into spheres of influence.

Former foreign minister Pavlo Klymkyn cautioned Ukrainians not to cheer too loudly, saying Russia could "double down" on its war goals. Other commentators saw geopolitical benefit in the fall of a Russian-backed ruler; Anatolii Khrapchynskyi wrote that the operation struck at the Kremlin's reputation as a guarantor for its allies.

Key Topics

World, Nicolás Maduro, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia, Adnrii Sybiha