Venezuela: Germany hesitates to condemn US attack

Government spokespeople responded cautiously to journalists' questions on Monday: For almost 40 minutes, Foreign Office spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer and government spokesman Sebastian Hille took questions on the subject of Venezuela at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin.

Why did Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) not describe last Saturday's action by the US military as what many experts believe it was, namely a violation of international law, reporters wanted to know. On Saturday, US soldiers captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a spectacular operation in the capital Caracas and flew him to the US.

Hille read out a statement harshly criticizing Maduro: "Maduro has led his country into dangerous waters in recent years." The statement also said that his term as president was the result of rigged elections, which is one of the reasons why Germany has never officially recognized Maduro.

The government spokesperson then stated, "The Chancellor has emphasized that everyone, including the US, must respect international law. This applies explicitly to state sovereignty and territorial integrity." A choice of words that carefully avoided explicitly accusing the US of violating international law.

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Over the weekend, Germany had also been part of the effort to come up with a European response and assessment of the US government's decision to seize Maduro. The result was a statement released on Sunday and signed by 26 EU countries, but not Hungary. In the statement, EU Foreign Affairs Representative Kaja Kallas called for compliance with international law. Respecting the will of the Venezuelan people remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy, she added. The EU has repeatedly stated that Maduro lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz avoided making a clear statement over the weekend. On Saturday, he wrote on X: "The legal situation regarding the US intervention is complex. We are taking our time to consider it." He added that the principles of international law must apply to relations between states: "There cannot be political instability in Venezuela now. It is important to ensure an orderly transition to a government legitimized by elections."

On Monday morning, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul felt compelled to once again come to the chancellor's defense. Speaking on Deutschlandfunk public radio before a trip to Lithuania, Wadephul said: "Maduro led an unjust regime; eight million people have left the country. There are political prisoners."

He added that the United Nations had described the human rights situation in Venezuela as very critical and that proceedings were underway against Venezuela at the International Criminal Court. Maduro, he said, is not the legitimately elected president of the country. "All of this must be taken into account," Wadephul said. And that the geopolitical interests of the US also played a role in the attack.

This statement was criticized as too weak by numerous German opposition politicians, who described the military action that ultimately brought Maduro to New York as a clear violation of international law. Katharina Dröge, parliamentary leader of the Green Party , said over the weekend: "The US intervention is a violation of international law. What is stopping the Chancellor from stating this clearly?"

She added: "In this situation, keeping a low profile is a disastrous strategy, Mr. Merz."

Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, who also co-chairs the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), stated at the weekend: "The events in Venezuela are very worrying," Klingbeil stated explicitly in his capacity as SPD leader: "The Venezuelan ruler Maduro has led an authoritarian regime that has clung to power through violence and oppression."

"However, this cannot be a justification for disregarding international law," Klingbeil added.

The far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has hailed US action in Venezuela as part of a necessary "realignment of global politics."

Why Merz and Wadephul are not saying this so clearly is currently the subject of speculation in political circles in Berlin. On Tuesday, Merz will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders in Paris, and representatives from Ukraine and the US will also be present. As so often in the past, the focus will be on the prospects for peace in Ukraine, for which American security guarantees would be very important.

Is that why Germany does not want to clash with Trump over Venezuela? Armin Laschet (CDU) chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, put it this way: "Foreign policy is complicated. You have to take the realities of the world into account," he warned on RBB television. "Would it be wise for Europeans to decide now to bring a unilateral indictment against US President Donald Trump?" Laschet asked. The result would likely be losing leverage in Ukraine policy, said the CDU politician.

In other words, it's not the time to fan the flames, but rather to focus on achieving the best possible outcome in Ukraine. This appears to be what the German government sees as the best strategy at the moment with regard to the US and Venezuela.

This article was originally written in German.

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