The United States faced strong criticism at an emergency UN Security Council meeting for launching deadly attacks in Venezuela and capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Countries like Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Eritrea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Spain denounced the US action as a "crime of aggression." Sérgio França Danese, Brazil's UN ambassador, said, "The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line. These acts constitute a very serious affront to the sovereignty of Venezuela and set an extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community." US Ambassador Mike Waltz defended the operation as a lawful "law enforcement" action to enforce criminal charges against what he called an "illegitimate" Maduro. The attack happened just before Maduro was to appear in a federal court in Manhattan on charges including "narco-terrorism," cocaine trafficking, and weapons crimes—charges Maduro denies. UN Secretary General António Guterres warned that capturing Maduro could worsen instability in Venezuela and the region. He questioned if the operation followed international law and urged peaceful political dialogue, offering UN support. Colombia, which requested the meeting, called the US action a violation of Venezuela's sovereignty, with its ambassador saying, "There is no justification whatsoever, under any circumstances, for the unilateral use of force to commit an act of aggression." Russia and China strongly opposed the US, demanding immediate release of Maduro and his wife. Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya called the attack "a turn back to the era of lawlessness" and warned against the US acting as the world's "supreme judge." Chinese representative Fu Cong said the US had "wantonly trampled upon Venezuela's sovereignty" and urged Washington to stop bullying and return to dialogue. Cuba called the attack "imperialist and fascist aggression." Venezuela’s own ambassador described it as "an illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification" and "the kidnapping of the constitutional president." The US said it was not at war with Venezuela and compared the raid to past law enforcement actions, citing the 1989 capture of Panama’s Manuel Noriega. Waltz asserted, "President Trump gave diplomacy a chance. He offered Maduro multiple offerings he tried to de-escalate. Maduro refused to take them." Experts questioned the operation’s legality due to lack of UN approval and Venezuelan consent. The UN charter forbids use of force against a country’s sovereignty, a principle emphasized throughout the meeting. Despite the debate, the divided Security Council made no collective moves, with any US censure expected to be blocked by permanent members’ veto power.