In a forceful address to the United Nations Security Council, Brazil’s Ambassador to the UN Sergio Franca Danese delivered a scathing condemnation of recent military actions against Venezuela. The emergency session, convened on January 5, 2026, addressed the unprecedented capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores following military strikes on Venezuelan territory.
Ambassador Danese characterized the intervention as a ‘flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law,’ emphasizing that the bombings and presidential capture represent an unacceptable breach of Venezuelan sovereignty. The Brazilian diplomat warned that these actions establish an ‘extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community.’
Highlighting the geographical significance, Danese noted this marks the first instance of external armed aggression in South America involving troop deployments and aerial bombings in a country sharing a 2,000-kilometer border with Brazil. The ambassador stressed that governing norms between states are ‘mandatory and universal,’ not subject to exceptions based on ideological, geopolitical, or economic interests.
Brazil’s position maintains that neither natural resource exploitation nor economic considerations justify the use of force or illegal government changes. Danese called upon the Security Council to ‘assume its responsibility and react with determination, clarity, and obedience to international law’ to prevent the ‘law of force from prevailing over the force of law.’
The ambassador concluded by affirming Brazil’s belief that Venezuela’s future should be determined exclusively by the Venezuelan people through dialogue, without external interference and within established international legal frameworks.