Cancels second wave of attacks against Venezuela; Neighbors and allies harshly criticize US measures
NEW YORK:
President Donald Trump’s increasingly expansive view of American power, openly dismissive of international law and anchored in what he calls “his own morality,” is sending shockwaves through capitals as Washington deepens its military, economic and political interventions from Latin America to Europe and the Arctic.
In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, Trump said his authority as commander in chief was limited only by his personal moral judgment. “Yes, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me,” he said, adding bluntly: “I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people.”
When asked if his administration was subject to international law, Trump responded, “Yes,” before qualifying the comment by saying, “It depends on what your definition of international law is.” His comments came as the United States acknowledged attacks or military operations during the first year of his second term in Venezuela, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Nigeria, Iraq and Iran.
Trump also appeared to be dismissive of the latest US-Russia nuclear arms control agreement, New START, which expires on February 5. “If it wins, it wins,” he told the newspaper, adding, “We’ll just sign a better deal” and insisting that China should be included in any future deal.
The comments coincided with dramatic developments in Venezuela, where Trump said Friday he ruled out a planned second wave of U.S. attacks after the new leadership in Caracas began releasing political prisoners.
“Venezuela is releasing a large number of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Search for Peace,'” he wrote on his Social Truth platform. “Due to this cooperation, I have canceled the previously expected second wave of attacks.”
The prisoner release followed a deadly Jan. 3 raid by U.S. special forces, accompanied by airstrikes, in which Washington detained leftist President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flew them to New York to face drug charges. Caracas says around 100 people died during the operation.
Maduro’s deputy Delcy Rodríguez assumed interim leadership, while her brother, parliament president Jorge Rodríguez, said a “large number of Venezuelan citizens and foreigners” were being released for the sake of “peaceful coexistence.”
The human rights group Foro Penal had previously estimated that there were more than 800 political prisoners detained. The White House quickly took credit for the releases, although Trump has downplayed democracy as a motivation for the intervention, despite years of U.S. claims that Maduro’s election was fraudulent.
Trump said US oil companies had pledged $100 billion in investments, as Washington seeks to “govern” Venezuela during a transition period and tap into its vast oil reserves. The United States also announced that it had seized another oil tanker, the Olina, that was trying to break a US naval blockade on Venezuelan oil, the fifth vessel detained in recent weeks.
The international reaction has been very critical. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said they supported a “peaceful transition process, negotiated and led by Venezuela” that respected sovereignty and international law. Lula condemned Washington’s actions as crossing an “unacceptable line”, while the UN human rights office said the intervention violated international law and made the world less safe.
Trump’s comments have also unsettled neighboring Mexico after he suggested the United States could carry out ground attacks to combat drug cartels. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had ordered her foreign minister to strengthen communication with Washington, instructing him to contact the US secretary of state and, if necessary, speak directly to Trump.
In Europe, alarm is growing over Washington’s stance, particularly Trump’s renewed threats to put Greenland under American control, potentially by force. NATO’s top commander in Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, said the alliance was “far from being in crisis” and ready to defend “every inch” of its territory, but acknowledged that Trump’s comments had raised concerns.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she did not believe the United States would launch military action against Greenland, warning that any such action would have serious consequences for NATO and underlining the need for a strong allied presence in the Arctic.
France adopted a harsher tone. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Europe’s political order was “in danger” and insisted Paris had the right to say “no” to Washington when proposals were unacceptable. “In a matter of months, the new US administration decided to rethink the ties that unite us,” he said. “We also have the right to say ‘no’ to a historic ally, no matter how historic it may be.”
Barrot rejected US claims that Europe faced a “civilizational erasure”, warning instead of threats from external adversaries, internal democratic fatigue and the erosion of arms control frameworks, including the imminent expiration of New START, which he said raised the risk of nuclear proliferation.
Meanwhile, Germany announced that its foreign and finance ministers would visit Washington next week amid tensions over Greenland, Ukraine, transatlantic security and access to critical raw materials, underscoring growing European unease as Trump continues to redefine the limits of American power on his own terms.
