EU refuses to recognise Venezuela’s interim president
The European Union declined on Tuesday to recognise Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, sticking to its stance that the country’s authorities lack a democratic mandate while signalling continued engagement with Caracas following the dramatic US capture of President Nicolás Maduro. European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper told reporters in Brussels that the bloc would not endorse Rodríguez, who was sworn in as interim president on Monday after Maduro’s removal. “We have not recognised the legitimacy of President Maduro, nor that of Delcy Rodríguez,” Hipper said, adding that the EU would “maintain targeted engagement with Venezuelan authorities to protect our own interests.”
The statement highlights persistent divisions within Europe over the US military operation that extracted Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their Caracas residence in the early hours of 3 January. While 26 EU member states issued a joint declaration through foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calling for “calm and restraint” and respect for international law, national responses have ranged from outright condemnation to quiet approval. The operation, dubbed Absolute Resolve, involved more than 150 US aircraft from 20 bases striking targets across Venezuela before Delta Force special operators secured the couple, who were then flown to the USS Iwo Jima and on to New York.
Spain emerged among the sharpest critics, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez refusing to acknowledge the US “intervention” despite Madrid’s longstanding non recognition of Maduro’s government. French Foreign Minister Jean Noël Barrot stated that the operation violated the international law principle of non recourse to force. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a close Trump ally, highlighted Maduro’s lack of legitimacy while deeming certain “defensive” interventions justifiable when state actors engage in drug trafficking, reflecting the bloc’s fractured views on unilateral US action.
Rodríguez, who previously served as vice president and has faced EU sanctions since 2018 for undermining democracy, has expressed willingness to cooperate with Washington while condemning the operation as a sovereignty violation. President Trump warned her that she would face consequences “probably worse than those of Maduro” if she failed to meet US demands. The couple appeared before Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan federal court on Monday, pleading not guilty to narcoterrorism charges. Rubio has indicated he does not view Rodríguez’s government as legitimate, even as the administration works with her on transition issues.
