22 hours agoShareSaveLaura KuenssbergPresenter, Sunday with Laura KuenssbergShareSaveSir Keir Starmer has refused to be drawn on whether or not US President Donald Trump’s military action against Venezuela may have broken international law.In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme on Saturday morning, the prime minister did not condemn the US strikes.He said he was waiting to establish all the facts but would not “shy away from this”, adding he was a “lifelong advocate of international law”.Sir Keir earlier said the UK had not been involved in Saturday’s large-scale strikes on Venezuela and he had not spoken to Trump about the operation that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.Later on Saturday, the prime minister posted on X that the UK “regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime”.”The UK government will discuss the evolving situation with US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people,” he added.The government is working with the UK embassy in Caracas to ensure around 500 British citizens in Venezuela are safeguarded and get appropriate advice.The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Venezuela, and said any British nationals already living in the country should “shelter in place” or “be prepared to change your plans quickly if necessary”.As part of a wide-ranging interview, the PM was pressed on developments in Venezuela and whether he felt international law had been upheld.”I want to get all the material facts together, and we simply haven’t got the full picture at the moment,” Sir Keir told the BBC. “It’s fast moving, and we need to piece that together.”I can be really clear with you that there was no UK involvement in this operation. I then need to speak to President Trump, I need to speak to our allies, but I don’t shy away from this.”I’ve been a lifelong advocate of international law and the importance of compliance with international law.”But I want to ensure that I’ve got all the facts at my disposal, and we haven’t got that at the moment. And we need to get that before we come to a decision about the consequences in relation to the actions that have been taken.”During a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump said the US was going to “run” Venezuela until “a safe, proper and judicious transition can take place”.He earlier said Venezuela’s left-wing president and his wife Cilia Flores were flown out of Caracas in a military operation in conjunction with US law enforcement.Elite Delta Force soldiers were used in the raid to capture them, according to the BBC’s North American partner, CBS News.Maduro has been indicted on drugs and weapons charges, according to US officials. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he anticipated no further action against Venezuela.Strikes inside the country come after sustained US pressure against the Maduro government.The Trump administration has described its military action in the region in recent weeks as part of a non-international armed conflict with alleged drug traffickers, whom it accuses of conducting irregular warfare against the US.A former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court told the BBC the US military campaign more generally fell into the category of a planned, systematic at …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn22 hours agoShareSaveLaura KuenssbergPresenter, Sunday with Laura KuenssbergShareSaveSir Keir Starmer has refused to be drawn on whether or not US President Donald Trump’s military action against Venezuela may have broken international law.In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme on Saturday morning, the prime minister did not condemn the US strikes.He said he was waiting to establish all the facts but would not “shy away from this”, adding he was a “lifelong advocate of international law”.Sir Keir earlier said the UK had not been involved in Saturday’s large-scale strikes on Venezuela and he had not spoken to Trump about the operation that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.Later on Saturday, the prime minister posted on X that the UK “regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime”.”The UK government will discuss the evolving situation with US counterparts in the days ahead as we seek a safe and peaceful transition to a legitimate government that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people,” he added.The government is working with the UK embassy in Caracas to ensure around 500 British citizens in Venezuela are safeguarded and get appropriate advice.The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Venezuela, and said any British nationals already living in the country should “shelter in place” or “be prepared to change your plans quickly if necessary”.As part of a wide-ranging interview, the PM was pressed on developments in Venezuela and whether he felt international law had been upheld.”I want to get all the material facts together, and we simply haven’t got the full picture at the moment,” Sir Keir told the BBC. “It’s fast moving, and we need to piece that together.”I can be really clear with you that there was no UK involvement in this operation. I then need to speak to President Trump, I need to speak to our allies, but I don’t shy away from this.”I’ve been a lifelong advocate of international law and the importance of compliance with international law.”But I want to ensure that I’ve got all the facts at my disposal, and we haven’t got that at the moment. And we need to get that before we come to a decision about the consequences in relation to the actions that have been taken.”During a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump said the US was going to “run” Venezuela until “a safe, proper and judicious transition can take place”.He earlier said Venezuela’s left-wing president and his wife Cilia Flores were flown out of Caracas in a military operation in conjunction with US law enforcement.Elite Delta Force soldiers were used in the raid to capture them, according to the BBC’s North American partner, CBS News.Maduro has been indicted on drugs and weapons charges, according to US officials. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he anticipated no further action against Venezuela.Strikes inside the country come after sustained US pressure against the Maduro government.The Trump administration has described its military action in the region in recent weeks as part of a non-international armed conflict with alleged drug traffickers, whom it accuses of conducting irregular warfare against the US.A former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court told the BBC the US military campaign more generally fell into the category of a planned, systematic at …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
