Cancels second wave of attacks on Venezuela; Neighbors, allies sharply critical of US actions
NEW YORK:
President Donald Trump’s increasingly expansive view of American power, openly dismissive of international law and instead rooted in what he calls his “own morality,” is sending shockwaves across capitals as Washington deepens 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. That’s the only thing that can stop me,” he said, adding bluntly: “I don’t need international law. I don’t seek to hurt people.”
Pressed on whether his administration was bound by international law, Trump replied, “I do,” before qualifying the remark by saying, “It depends on what your definition of international law is.” His comments came as the United States acknowledged military strikes or operations during the first year of his second term in Venezuela, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Nigeria, Iraq and Iran.
Trump also appeared dismissive of the last remaining US-Russia nuclear arms control agreement, New START, which expires on February 5. “If it expires, it expires,” he told the paper, adding: “We’re just making a better deal,” insisting China should be included in any future deal.
The remarks coincided with dramatic developments in Venezuela, where Trump said on Friday he was scrapping a planned second wave of US strikes after the new leadership in Caracas began releasing political prisoners.
“Venezuela is releasing a large number of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace,'” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Because of this cooperation, I have canceled the previously expected second wave of attacks.”
The release of prisoners followed a deadly raid by US special forces on January 3, accompanied by airstrikes, in which Washington seized leftist President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flew them to New York to face drug charges. Caracas says around 100 people were killed in the operation.
Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, took over the interim leadership, while her brother, Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodriguez, said a “large number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals” were freed for the sake of “peaceful coexistence”.
The rights group Foro Penal had previously estimated that more than 800 political prisoners were being held. The White House quickly took credit for the releases, although Trump has played down democracy as a motivation for the intervention, despite years of US claims that Maduro’s election was fraudulent.
Trump said U.S. oil companies had pledged $100 billion in investment as Washington moves to “manage” Venezuela during a transition period and tap its vast oil reserves. The U.S. also announced it had seized another tanker, the Olina, that was trying to break a U.S. naval blockade of Venezuelan oil, the fifth vessel detained in recent weeks.
The international reaction has been sharply critical. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said they supported a “peaceful, negotiated and Venezuelan-led transition process” 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 US could carry out ground strikes to fight drug cartels. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had ordered her foreign minister to strengthen communications with Washington and instructed him to contact the US secretary of state and, if necessary, speak directly to Trump.
In Europe, alarm is growing over Washington’s stance, especially Trump’s renewed threats to bring Greenland under American control, potentially by force. NATO’s top commander in Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, said the alliance was “far from a crisis” and ready to defend “every inch” of its territory, but acknowledged Trump’s comments had raised concerns.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she did not believe the US would launch a military move against Greenland, warning that any such action would have serious consequences for NATO and stressing the need for a strong allied presence in the Arctic.
France struck a sharper tone. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Europe’s political order was “at risk” 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 bind us,” he said. “It is also our right to say ‘no’ to a historic ally, no matter how historic.”
Barrot rejected US claims that Europe was facing “civilizational annihilation”, warning instead of threats from outside adversaries, democratic fatigue within and the erosion of arms control frameworks, including the looming expiration of New START, which he said increased the risk of nuclear proliferation.
Germany, meanwhile, 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.
