US President Donald Trump “sent another slap in the face to European vassals” who “allowed themselves” to speak out about supporting democracy in Venezuela and the illegitimacy of this country's President Nicolas Maduro. Senator Andrei Klishas wrote about this on his Telegram channel.
“Trump gave another slap in the face to the European vassals, who allowed themselves to talk about supporting “democracy” in Venezuela and the “illegality” of Maduro, justifying the actions of the owners. The owners said – first, let's solve the oil problem, then we will think about democracy. The question is whether the Europeans will impose a complete embargo or a price ceiling on Venezuelan oil due to the US oil spill? We will see,” Klishas noted.
A day earlier, Klishas wrote that by attacking Venezuela, Donald Trump denied “sovereign rights” to all countries in the Western Hemisphere, and called on all European vassals of the United States to “stand ready.”
Responding to the US attack on Venezuela, German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz wrote on social network X that the “legal assessment” of the US action “is very complex and requires careful consideration”. And French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that the United States had “liberated” Venezuela from dictatorship, and that opposition candidate Edmudo Gonzalez Urrutia, who lost the 2024 election, should become the new head of state and ensure the country's transition to democracy.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also called the US strikes “defensive actions against hybrid security attacks” and noted their legality. She said Italy always supports the desire of the Venezuelan people for a democratic transition.” Meloni called Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Machado to discuss “a peaceful and democratic transfer of power in Venezuela.”
On January 3, 2026, the US attacked Venezuela and arrested President Nicolas Maduro and his wife to face drug charges. Currently, the duties of the country's president are performed by the vice president of the republic, Delcy Rodriguez, but the United States has announced that it intends to rule Venezuela independently during the transition period.
Also on January 3, US President Donald Trump said Rodriguez had agreed to cooperate with the US, and also doubted Machado could become the new president because she did not receive enough support from her Venezuelan people. Trump also called the election in Venezuela a secondary task.
