Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper's refusal to criticise the United States over the capture of Nicolás Maduro is understood to be a strategic move to preserve fragile US security guarantees for Ukraine. The balancing act came to light as a joint statement on Ukraine was expected in Paris, with the US promising binding security guarantees to protect Ukraine from further Russian attack.
British officials viewed the US agreement to act as a guarantor as a major diplomatic achievement, especially after the leak of a 28-point plan that had alarmed Europe. The presence of Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Paris symbolised the renewed commitment. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was credited with coaxing President Trump back to offering future protection to Ukraine.
Cooper faced a 90-minute grilling in the House of Commons on Monday evening, where she avoided directly stating whether the UK considered the kidnapping of Maduro a breach of international law. One British official described it as a “no-brainer” not to criticise Rubio over an operation that the UK had not endorsed and which was presented as a fait accompli.
Cooper did send coded hints to MPs that she had raised international law with Rubio, and she stressed the need for a democratic transition in Venezuela. However, there appears to be little interest from the White House in British expertise on Latin America, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer was not consulted about the Maduro capture.
