(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations defended the administration’s removal of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro on Monday as others condemned the operation.
During a United Nations Security Council meeting, Mike Waltz reiterated the government’s earlier claims that Maduro and his wife, now both in U.S. custody, are responsible for attacks on the United States, destabilizing the Western Hemisphere and “illegitimately repressing the people of Venezuela.”
“There is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country,” Waltz told fellow ambassadors. “This was a law enforcement operation.”
The U.S. military first conducted strikes on the capital city of Caracas on Saturday before taking Maduro into custody and transporting him to New York City, where he pleaded not guilty on Monday.
The U.S. has categorized Maduro’s capture as an act of self-defense, and Waltz on Monday called the ousted leader a “narco-terrorist” and a “so-called president,” referencing the country’s 2024 election against opposition leader María Corina Machado.
“I want to reiterate President Trump gave diplomacy a chance. He offered Maduro multiple off-ramps. He tried to de-escalate… The United States will not waver in its actions,” Waltz said.
Critics of the operation contend it violated international law — including the U.N. Charter, which prohibits members from “threat or use of force” against the political independence of another country.
Venezuela: US action was unjustified, ‘illegitimate armed attack’
Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada speaks during a meeting of the Security Council Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) 
The United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting to discuss recent US actions in Venezuela on January 5, 2026 in at UN headquarters in New York. Leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro, 63, faces narcotrafficking charges along with his wife, who was also seized and taken out of Caracas in the shock US assault on January 3, which involved commandos, bombing by jet planes, and a massive naval force off Venezuela’s coast. (Photo by John Lamparski / AFP via Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 05: Preparations are made for a Security Council meeting at the United Nations (UN) concerning the situation in Venezuela on January 05, 2026 in New York City. The Trump administration captured the President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores in a military operation over the weekend in Caracas, bringing them to New York to stand trial on federal charges relating to narco-terrorism. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) 
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on U.S. strikes and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, U.S., January 5, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada condemned the Trump administration’s actions as an “illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification” from the U.S.
“Venezuela comes before this council today with a deep conviction that international peace can only be sustained if international law is respected without exception, without double standards and without selective interpretations,” Moncada said.
Moncada also pushed back on Waltz’s reasoning for the operations, instead pointing to Venezuela’s massive oil reserves as a motivating factor and a source of “greed” from others.
UN ambassadors from Russia, China, Colombia condemn Maduro capture
Members of the intergovernmental organization have accused the U.S. of setting a “dangerous precedent.” A statement attributed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Trump administration’s escalation may have “worrying implications for the region.”
Colombian Ambassador Leonor Zalabata Torres on Monday condemned the Trump administration’s actions.
“We reject any unilateral military action, any act that could worsen the situation or endanger the civilian population,” Zalabata Torres said. “And we would call for a deescalation.”
Venezuela has criticized the Trump administration and its military operations, which were carried out in both civilian and military areas. The Cuban government on Sunday said 32 of its citizens were killed during the controversial U.S. raid.
“The assault against the leader of Venezuela — compounded by the deaths of dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban citizens — in the eyes of many, has become a harbinger of a turn back to the era of lawlessness … and U.S. domination by force,” Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said Monday.
Ambassadors from countries including the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Latvia, Panama and more all shared concern over the attacks, called for peace and highlighted the importance of international law without completely condemning the U.S. military.
Argentina uniquely commended the Trump’s administration’s actions, which Ambassador Francisco Tropepi called a “decisive step” toward addressing drug trafficking concerns in the region.
NewsNation’s Michael Ramsey and Libbey Dean contributed to this report.