US-Venezuela tensions LIVE: On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured by the US, are set to appear in court to face drug-trafficking charges. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Defence Minister, Vladimir Padrino, said a large part of Maduro’s security team and “innocent civilians” were killed during the US operation.

Follow Firstpost’s live coverage of the ongoing US-Venezuela tensions.

Also read: US to keep Venezuela oil ‘quarantine’, open to working with current leaders: Rubio

China on Monday condemned the US military action in Venezuela during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, accusing Washington of violating international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty.

China’s UN envoy Fu Cong said the United States, as a permanent member of the Council, had ignored international concerns and “seriously violated the principles of sovereign equality” by undermining Venezuela’s security and legitimate rights.

“No country can act as the world’s police, nor presume to be the international judge,” Fu said.

China also called on the US to release Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from detention.

The Russian embassy in Caracas has advised Russian citizens to avoid travelling to Venezuela following the abduction of Nicolás Maduro and his wife last week, state-run news agency TASS reported.

Moscow said it was deeply concerned by the incident and condemned it as an “act of armed aggression” against Venezuela.

Bangladesh has expressed concern over the recent developments in Venezuela, calling for a diplomatic resolution.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Bangladesh believes diplomacy and dialogue should prevail in resolving disputes between countries, and reaffirmed its commitment to the principles of the UN Charter and international law.

Mexican President Gloria Sheinbaum has once again condemned the US intervention in Venezuela and the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro, reaffirming Mexico’s long-standing opposition to foreign interference.

Speaking at a news conference in Mexico City on Monday, Sheinbaum said Mexico’s stance against intervention is “firm, clear and historic”, stressing that the country categorically rejects involvement in the internal affairs of other nations.

She said Latin America’s history shows that intervention has never delivered democracy, adding that only people themselves can determine their future, exercise sovereignty over natural resources and choose their form of government.

Sheinbaum underlined that sovereignty and self-determination are “neither optional nor negotiable” for Mexico and said the Americas do not belong to any single doctrine or power, but to the peoples of each country.

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been assigned a court-appointed attorney, David Wikstrom, for his initial appearance before a judge in New York later today, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrived at the courthouse earlier this morning ahead of the scheduled appearance.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Monday he would “take up arms” in response to threats from US President Donald Trump, who over the weekend authorised the military capture of Venezuela’s leader.

Petro, a former guerrilla and Colombia’s first leftist president, said on X: “I swore not to touch a weapon again… but for the homeland I will take up arms again.”

Trump had earlier said Petro should “watch his ass” and called Colombia’s leader “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

Extra security measures have been implemented around the federal courthouse in Manhattan.