Ireland’s prime minister, or Taoiseach, Micheál Martin said his government never accepted “the legitimacy of the Maduro regime” in Venezuela but has sought a peaceful, democratic transition — remarks that came as deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was set to appear in a U.S. court following his weekend capture by U.S. forces.
Maduro was detained during a military raid Saturday in Caracas that has plunged the country into uncertainty. U.S. officials have not publicly detailed the legal proceedings ahead, but authorities have said he is due in court as early as this week.
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Speaking in Beijing during an official four-day visit to China, Martin described the Maduro government as “brutal,” while emphasizing that Ireland’s position aimed at change through nonviolent means. “There were real issues there. That said, we wanted a peaceful transition from that regime to a democratic one that would be decided by the people of Venezuela,” he said.
Martin added that Ireland would not pull back from its relationship with the United States amid the fast-moving developments. “Dialogue is key,” he said, arguing that engagement remains central to Ireland’s foreign policy and trade interests. “Engagement with countries all over the world is key, and we can never shrink back from that engagement. We export about 90% of what we produce all over the world, so we have to maintain relations and engage with different countries and that’s what we’ve been doing consistently.”
He said Ireland would continue to advocate for core principles in international affairs, including adherence to global norms. “We’ve also then consistently at international level advanced our values, our commitment to the international rules-based order, the peaceful resolution of disputes — and that will continue to be our position.”
The U.S. response to Maduro’s detention is still taking shape. President Donald Trump said his administration will try to work with Venezuela’s current government to clamp down on drug trafficking and open up its oil industry, rather than pushing for elections to install new leaders.
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, offered on Sunday to collaborate with Washington on an agenda centered on “shared development,” signaling a potential diplomatic opening even as she has condemned the raid. In a statement posted on social media, Rodriguez said her government was prioritizing a move toward respectful relations with the United States, after earlier denouncing Saturday’s operation as an illegal bid for the country’s resources.
“We invite the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” Rodriguez said. “President Donald Trump, our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.”
Martin’s comments underscore Ireland’s balancing act: maintaining close ties with the United States and an export-dependent economy while pressing for human rights, democratic norms and the peaceful resolution of conflicts abroad. As the situation in Venezuela evolves quickly following Maduro’s capture, Dublin’s stance remains focused on dialogue and the rules-based international order.
Additional reporting Reuters.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
