Government spokespeople responded cautiously to journalists' questions on Monday: For almost 40 minutes, Foreign Office spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer and government spokesman Sebastian Hille took questions on the subject of Venezuela at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin.

Why did Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) not describe Saturday's action by the US military as what many experts believe it was, namely a violation of international law, reporters wanted to know. On Saturday, US soldiers captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a spectacular operation in the capital, Caracas, and flew him to the US to face charges of narco-terrorism.

Hille read out a statement harshly criticizing the captured leader: "Maduro has led his country into dangerous waters in recent years." The statement also said that Maduro's term as president was the result of rigged elections, which is one of the reasons why Germany has never officially recognized Maduro.

The government spokesperson then stated, "The chancellor has emphasized that everyone, including the US, must respect international law. This applies explicitly to state sovereignty and territorial integrity." The choice of words carefully avoided explicitly accusing the US of violating international law.

Merz shies away from accusing US of violating international law

Over the weekend, Germany had also been part of the effort to come up with a European response and assessment of the US government's decision to seize Maduro. The result was a statement released on Sunday and signed by 26 EU countries, but not Hungary.

In the statement, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas called for compliance with international law. Respecting the will of the Venezuelan people remains the only way for Venezuela to restore democracy, she added. The EU has repeatedly stated that Maduro lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected president.

Chancellor Merz avoided making a clear statement over the weekend. On Saturday, he wrote on X: "The legal situation regarding the US intervention is complex. We are taking our time to consider it." He added that the principles of international law must apply to relations between states: "There cannot be political instability in Venezuela now. It is important to ensure an orderly transition to a government legitimized by elections."

On Monday morning, Foreign Minister Wadephul felt compelled to once again come to the chancellor's defense. Speaking on Deutschlandfunk public radio before a trip to Lithuania, he said: "Maduro led an unjust regime; 8 million people have left the country. There are political prisoners."

He added that the United Nations had described the human rights situation in Venezuela as very critical and that proceedings were underway against Venezuela at the International Criminal Court. Wadephul said Maduro is not the legitimately elected president of the country and that the geopolitical interests of the US also played a role in the attack.

Germany's left-leaning politicians are critical

This statement was criticized as too weak by several German opposition politicians, who described the military action that ultimately brought Maduro to New York as a clear violation of international law. Katharina Dröge, parliamentary leader of the Green Party , said over the weekend: "The US intervention is a violation of international law. What is stopping the chancellor from stating this clearly?"

She added: "In this situation, keeping a low profile is a disastrous strategy, Mr. Merz."

Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, who also co-chairs the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), called the events in Venezuela "very worrying," adding that "Maduro has led an authoritarian regime that has clung to power through violence and oppression."

"However, this cannot be a justification for disregarding international law," he said.

The far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has described US action in Venezuela as part of a "realignment of global politics."

Europe needs US in Ukraine conflict

Why Merz and Wadephul are not saying this so clearly is currently the subject of speculation in political circles in Berlin. On Tuesday, Merz will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders in Paris. Representatives from Ukraine and the US will also be present. As so often in the past, the focus will be on the prospects for peace in Ukraine, for which American security guarantees would be very important.

Is that why Germany doesn't want to clash with Trump over Venezuela? Armin Laschet (CDU), chairman of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, put it this way: "Foreign policy is complicated. You have to take the realities of the world into account." 

He added that if Europeans indicted Trump over the incident, the result would likely be losing leverage in Ukraine policy.

In other words, the German government appears to believe that now is not the time to fan the flames with the US over Venezuela, but rather to focus on achieving the best possible outcome in Ukraine. 

This article was originally written in German.

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