UN Chief Condemns U.S. Venezuela Raid and Russia’s Ukraine Invasion as Breaches of International Law

In a combative address opening his final year in office, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the General Assembly that the world is facing “brazen violations of international law,” explicitly citing Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the United States’ military operation in Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro and its lethal boat attacks in the Caribbean and Pacific. He warned that leaders who “pick and choose which rules to follow” are undermining global order and setting a dangerous precedent, and said people worldwide are watching a growing culture of impunity that includes illegal uses of force, attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers, and unconstitutional changes of government. Guterres also blasted governments that fail to pay their UN dues on time, a pointed shot at the Trump administration, which withheld its mandatory UN budget payments in 2025. Beyond state behavior, he called the concentration of power and wealth among the richest 1%—who hold 43% of global financial assets—“morally indefensible,” arguing that ultra‑wealthy individuals and corporations are increasingly “calling the shots” over economies, information flows and even rule‑making. The speech amounts to a direct challenge to Washington and Moscow at a moment when U.S. strikes, Venezuela policy and UN funding cuts are already drawing global scrutiny and domestic debate in the United States.