The Trump Administration’s military action in Venezuela faced condemnation from both American allies and opponents during an emergency UN Security Council session on Monday, following the of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

French U.N. envoy Jay Dharmadhikari stated that the U.S.-led mission to apprehend Maduro undermines the basic principles of global order.

“The military mission resulting in Maduro’s capture violates the principles of peaceful conflict resolution and non-aggression,” Dharmadhikari said.

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, the intergovernmental organization’s chief official, declared that the U.S. breached the UN charter, which requires member nations to “refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” and urged diplomatic solutions.

“I am deeply concerned about potential escalation of instability in Venezuela, regional repercussions, and the precedent for international relations,” Guterres said.

Danish ambassador to the U.N. Christina Markus Lassen also defended Venezuelan sovereignty, stating that “no nation should attempt to shape Venezuela’s political future through force or unlawful methods.”

Following Maduro’s capture, Trump reiterated his desire to annex Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. Lassen didn’t directly mention this threat at the UN meeting, but emphasized that border integrity is non-negotiable.

Russia and China, traditional Venezuelan allies and vocal critics of U.S. foreign policy, also denounced the actions.

“We cannot permit the U.S. to act as a self-appointed global arbiter, claiming exclusive authority to invade nations, assign guilt, and execute punishments while disregarding international law, sovereignty, and non-intervention principles,” said Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia.

Both nations called for Maduro and his wife’s release (she was also detained Saturday) and demanded cessation of further military operations in Venezuela.

“Where are the foundations of global peace and security?” asked Colombia’s U.N. ambassador Zalabata Torres at the Monday meeting. “It evokes memories of the most egregious interventions in our peaceful region.”

Trump also threatened U.S. action against Colombia and Mexico following the Venezuela operations, describing Colombia’s leader as a “sick man” who produces and sells cocaine to the U.S., and claiming drugs are flooding through Mexico.

Venezuelan ambassador Samuel Moncada cautioned that U.S. intervention’s impact could extend beyond his nation.

“If abducting a head of state and military strikes are accepted or minimized, it sends a catastrophic global message that law is optional and might makes right,” Moncada said.

Mike Waltz, the U.S. envoy to the U.N., rejected the criticism, describing Maduro’s capture as a “precise law enforcement mission.”

“If this UN body grants legitimacy to an illegitimate narco-terrorist, treating him equally under the charter with democratically elected leaders, what kind of organization are we?” Waltz said.

Along with threatening potential U.S. intervention in Colombia and Mexico and renewing Greenland annexation threats, Trump also declared that “if Iran violently suppresses peaceful protesters, as is their pattern, the U.S. would intervene to protect them.”

Iran, along with council members and Venezuela, requested speaking time, as did numerous Latin American nations (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Nicaragua, Cuba), reflecting broad regional opposition to U.S. actions.

Monday’s session represented the second council gathering on U.S. actions against Venezuela since October, when they discussed fatal U.S. strikes on Venezuelan ships accused of drug trafficking.

While the council convened, Maduro and Flores were transported to their in New York, where both entered not guilty pleas to their respective charges.

Also on Monday afternoon, , who served for years as Venezuela’s vice president during Maduro’s tenure, was inaugurated as the country’s interim president.

At the formal inauguration ceremony Rodríguez likewise condemned what she termed the U.S.’s “illegitimate military aggression” in Venezuela.

“I come with grief for the suffering imposed on Venezuelans,” she stated, adding, “I come with grief for the abduction of two heroes.”