US President Donald Trump declared himself the Acting President of Venezuela, announcing that the United States would run the country for an indefinite period.
Trump posted on Truth Social as “Acting President of Venezuela” as the US takes control of Caracas and plans to sell Venezuelan oil to fund reconstruction.
In what many describe as one of his most audacious moves, Trump made the claim a little over a week after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his residence inside a military base. The announcement has sent shockwaves through the international community, with critics arguing that a sitting US president claiming authority over another sovereign nation represents a complete disregard for international law.
During an interview aired on Friday, Trump said, “International law is subjective, and it depends on how you interpret the definition of the law and the point from which you are judging the rule-based order.”
His comments drew severe criticism from much of the international community, which described “US actions in Venezuela as undermining international law".
Also Read: International law is ‘subjective’: Trump on Venezuela raid
China and Russia accused Washington of criminal “abduction” by capturing and removing Maduro from power. Germany, France, and the UK also rejected the US actions inside Venezuela, saying the “move had raised greater uncertainty in the international order”.
Smaller nations and those in conflict with their neighbours — such as Taiwan and Ukraine — now feel increasingly vulnerable against larger, territorially ambitious powers like Russia and China.
Meanwhile, a rift between the US and its NATO allies over Greenland has intensified, with the US administration insisting on taking control of the territory by “soft or hard means" while the NATO alliance has vowed to defend its interests with all possible means in case of foreign aggression.
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