DANIEL ESTRIN, HOST:
The attack on Venezuela is a seismic event in the hemisphere. The last time something like this happened was in 1989, when the United States invaded Panama to depose the country's military leader, Manuel Noriega. NPR's Eyder Peralta is following all of this from his base in Mexico City. He joins us now. Good morning, Eyder.
EYDER PERALTA, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning, Daniel.
ESTRIN: So let's start with what you have heard from Caracas and the government of Venezuela.
PERALTA: Yeah. So Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez called in to state TV. And she said government and military officials have been killed in U.S. strikes across Venezuela, and she said that they don't know the whereabouts of President Nicolas Maduro. As we've been hearing, the U.S. says President Maduro is in custody. Rodriguez demanded that the U.S. provide a proof of life. Early this morning, Venezuela's interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, appeared on state TV flanked by security forces. He called for calm. He said, trust in your government. We are mobilized.
ESTRIN: So let's talk about reaction across the region - first in Colombia, which shares a border with Venezuela. What is the word there?
PERALTA: So Colombian President Gustavo Petro says he has deployed security forces along the border in case, he said, there is a massive influx of refugees. Colombia is home to the largest Venezuelan diaspora. Petro also published a list of what he said were confirmed strikes in Venezuela. He said the military airbase in the middle of Caracas was bombed, as well as several other military installations, and he said the legislative building in Caracas was also hit. Petro went on to condemn what he said was a unilateral military action by the U.S. Petro called for a de-escalation of the situation. He called this an aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and Latin America.
We heard similar statements of condemnation from Chile, and Mexico's foreign ministry issued a strongly worded statement of condemnation. Mexico is, of course, the United States' biggest trading partner, but they say this attack constitutes a clear violation of the U.N. Charter. The statement went on to say that Mexico calls for an end to, quote, "any act of aggression against" the government and people of Venezuela.
ESTRIN: What about the repercussions beyond Venezuela, particularly Cuba and Nicaragua?
PERALTA: Yeah. I mean, those are Venezuela's closest allies in the Americas, and both countries have historically received a lot of help from Venezuela. I was just in Cuba, and I felt an air of worry from both the government and the people that any action against Venezuela would have repercussions in Cuba. Officials there told me that they would stand by Venezuela but that their response would be calibrated depending on what the U.S. did.
Early this morning, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called the U.S. action an act of state terrorism against Venezuela, and they called for an urgent reaction by the international community. Right now, Cuba is facing its toughest economic crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union. The government is literally having a tough time keeping the lights on, in part because the U.S. has stiffened its sanctions. Now, if Venezuelan oil stops coming into the country, you can expect Cuba to plunge deeper into crisis. And, of course, the big question is whether this government, which has been in power since 1959, can stick it out. It's also worth noting that Russia, a close ally of Venezuela and Cuba, has also condemned the attacks. The foreign ministry said it, quote, reaffirms its "solidarity with the Venezuelan people."
ESTRIN: Wow, repercussions across the hemisphere. Are we expecting anything from the United Nations?
PERALTA: Venezuela has called for a meeting of the Security Council. So inevitably, yes, there will be some action and many questions about the legality of this U.S. operation.
ESTRIN: NPR's Eyder Peralta, reporting from his base in Mexico City. Thank you, Eyder.
PERALTA: Thank you, Daniel. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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