Two diplomatic fault lines have opened in Nicolás Maduro’s view, revolving around the United States and Spain. The removal of Venezuelan opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia accelerated tensions and prompted Foreign Minister Yván Gil to summon Venezuela’s ambassador in Madrid, Gladys Gutiérrez, to exchange views about the crisis. At the same time, Gil called in Caracas for the Spanish ambassador, Ramón Santos, to present the government’s firm stance on recent remarks by Defense Minister Margarita Robles. The meeting happened privately, with the only public nod coming through a Telegram message from Gil: there will be no actions that amount to interference in matters that are the exclusive remit of Venezuelans. From Miraflores, officials stressed that necessary measures would be taken within the framework of international law and Bolivarian Peace Diplomacy to defend national sovereignty.
In his earlier Telegram message, the minister referred to the deterioration of ties and to Robles’ statements, which he described as insolent and meddling, having labeled the Venezuelan government a dictatorship. A notable detail is that the telegram quoted the ambassador Robles for appearance, a phrase typically reserved for judicial actions and which the attorney general had already used to justify the arrest order for González Urrutia. [Citation: official communications analysis]
The Friday official statement did not name specific actions, but it seems to keep alive the threat from the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, to sever all commercial, diplomatic, and consular relations with Madrid. “Let all the Spanish government representatives go, end those flights,” Rodríguez exclaimed, in a burst some interpret as a backing by the president. [Citation: parliamentary public statement]
The escalation also showed up in the Spanish Congress context, which at the request of the PP urged Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to recognize the electoral legitimacy of González Urrutia. Sánchez only received the same visits as his predecessors, a stance that has generated wear between Maduro’s camp and its international allies, including Russia, China, and other regional partners. [Citation: parliamentary report]
The Caracas daily El Nacional noted Spain’s decision to ease tensions after remarks from Minister José Manuel Albares, when asked by the RNE radio about the ambassadorial summons. The paper indicated that summoning an ambassador and recalling a diplomat are sovereign choices, and that no labels of dictatorship were applied to Venezuela. [Citation: El Nacional coverage]
Analysts wonder how far the dispute with Spain might go, given the attention from the European Union. In 2023 bilateral trade stood at 146 million euros, with imports around 619 million, mainly oil and related products. Companies operating in Venezuela include Repsol, Telefónica, Zara, BBVA, and Mapfre, among others. [Citation: ICEX and trade data]
The friction with the United States arrived with a White House warning: if Maduro does not publish the official records of the July electoral results, Washington will tighten pressure. Sanctions against 16 Venezuelan officials linked to the electoral process were announced, including members of the CNE, the TSJ, the armed forces, the National Guard, and the intelligence service. [Citation: official announcement]
The sanctions drew a reciprocal response. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López rejected the measures and linked Washington to an opposition that does not recognize the results. He claimed that the United States remains in a posture of crude pressure and imperial coercion, asserting that soldiers loyal to Bolívar and Chávez will not accept such pressure. [Citation: official statement]
The confrontation also sidelined the National Assembly and the TSJ, which argued that no sanction, legal or not, would alter their constitutional mandates. [Citation: institutional statements]
Beyond that, Gil extended the dispute to the United Nations, criticizing Secretary-General António Guterres for allegedly taking the side of those imposing penalties on Venezuela. He argued that the UN avoids condemning coercive measures, which he framed as an affront to the role of states. In contrast, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said those sanctions do not help and raised concerns about human rights and electoral transparency. [Citation: UN positions]
The rhetoric has intensified, and public discourse has sought to widen the geographic scope of the dispute beyond Madrid and Washington, with mutual accusations and calls for allied unity in the face of perceived external pressure. [Citation: regional strategic analysis]