Ukrainians welcome a US victory in Venezuela, and lament a double standard

KYIV, Ukraine – Ukrainians have cheered a long string of Russian geopolitical setbacks coinciding with the war in their country: Swedish and Finnish membership in NATO, Russia’s pullback from the South Caucasus and the collapse of the Russian-supported regime in Syria.

But the US capture of Mr Nicolas Maduro
, the Venezuelan president and Russian ally, is different. Ukrainian lawmakers and commentators are divided on whether to celebrate the downfall of Mr Maduro, a longtime Russian client, or to condemn a military intervention, as they have asked the world to do since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the liberation of Venezuelans from authoritarianism, while not outright endorsing the operation. It was a nod of support for the Trump administration, which is overseeing peace talks with Russia – though it came with yet another appeal for President Donald Trump to toughen his stance on Russia.

“Well, what can I say,” Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv. “If dictators can be dealt with in this way, then the United States of America knows what it should do next.”

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Mr Adnrii Sybiha, praised the freeing of a country from despotism. “Ukraine has consistently defended the right of nations to live freely, free from dictatorship, oppression and human rights violations,” Mr Sybiha wrote in a post on the social platform X. The government of Mr Maduro, he wrote, “has violated all such principles in every respect”.

There is no indication so far that the Venezuelan government will change policies after Mr Maduro’s capture.

The official statements of support came despite Ukrainian commentators noting a double standard: Ukraine has for four years been asking nations to condemn Russia.

Mr Zelensky narrowly escaped capture or assassination by the Russians at the start of the invasion, which began in Ukraine in similar ways to the American action this past weekend in Venezuela, with airstrikes and a helicopter assault aimed at the capital.

Russia’s helicopter attack failed but Mr Zelensky has said one objective was his capture or killing.

The Trump administration’s ouster of Mr Maduro will only help Russia justify aggression in its neighborhood, some Ukrainians lamented.

A member of Parliament, Mr Mykola Knizhytsky, wrote on Facebook that the American attack on Venezuela risked a division of the world into claimed spheres of influence. Ukraine, he said, “should be ready for Russia to exploit this”. NYTIMES