BRITISH Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has clarified that the United Kingdom played no role in a dramatic military operation conducted by the United States in Venezuela on Saturday, which resulted in the capture and removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In a statement to British broadcasters, Prime Minister Starmer said his government was working to establish the facts of what he described as a “fast-moving situation.”
He emphasised the importance of upholding international law and stated his intention to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump and allied leaders.
“I can be absolutely clear that we were not involved… and I always say and believe we should all uphold international law,” Starmer said.
When asked if he condemned the U.S. action — as leaders of the Liberal Democrat and Green parties have, labelling it unlawful — the Prime Minister said he first wanted to understand exactly what had occurred.
The operation, announced by President Trump in a social media post early Saturday, marks an unprecedented escalation in the long-standing confrontation between Washington and Caracas.
Trump stated that U.S. forces had captured President Maduro and removed him from the country.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez subsequently said she did not know Maduro’s location or if he was still alive, creating a leadership vacuum and a state of confusion in Caracas.
Maduro to Face U.S. Charges
In an interview with Fox News on Saturday, President Trump provided further details, confirming that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to a ship after their capture and would be transported to New York to face indictment.
Maduro was indicted in a U.S. federal court in 2020 on charges of narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking, accusations he has consistently denied.
U.S. Eyes Venezuelan Oil, Details Emerge on Operation
President Trump also signalled a significant shift in U.S. economic policy towards Venezuela following the operation.
He announced that the United States intends to become “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry, stating, “We have the greatest oil companies in the world… and we’re going to be very much involved in it,” Reuters quoted him as saying on Saturday evening, with Trump providing additional operational details, noting that U.S. forces suffered no casualties.
Trump also revealed he had spoken with Maduro a week prior to the action and was now making decisions on Venezuela’s future leadership.
He suggested that remaining loyalists to Maduro face a “bad future” and said he would consider the role of opposition leader María Corina Machado, while acknowledging that Venezuela currently has a vice president in place.
The operation, he noted, had waited four days for favourable weather conditions.
Domestic and International Reactions
The events have sparked immediate political controversy in the UK. Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, opined that the U.S. actions likely breached international law, but added, “if they make China and Russia think twice, it may be a good thing.”
Prime Minister Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, also confirmed that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office was working to ensure the safety of approximately 500 British citizens in Venezuela and advised against all travel to the country.
The situation remains fluid, with the legality of the U.S. intervention, the future governance of Venezuela, and the broader geopolitical repercussions yet to unfold.
