“While the Chancellor does indeed invoke international law, his party colleagues view Trump’s actions in Venezuela pragmatically. Within the SPD, however, the stance is more critical.
Even his one-day trip to Lithuania on Monday could not spare Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul from having to defend—or rather, to justify—Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s (both CDU) stance regarding American intervention in Venezuela. Specifically, he had to explain why the Federal Government has not yet publicly articulated a clear position. In this Baltic state, the focus—unsurprisingly—is on the threat posed by Russia. For Berlin, a decisive argument for condemning Moscow’s attack on Ukraine has, from the very beginning, been the appeal to the violation of international law. It is all the more striking, therefore, how much Berlin is now struggling to provide an international-law assessment of the American attack.
For the Federal Government, the situation is difficult—not least because of the Chancellor’s first foreign trip of the new year. On Tuesday, this trip takes Merz to Paris for the Ukraine conference. When America ramped up the pressure on Venezuela in recent weeks—primarily through attacks on alleged smuggler boats—German criticism remained notably restrained. Given that the Federal Government is expending considerable energy in its efforts to find a solution to the Ukraine war—specifically by attempting to reconcile the sensitivities of the White House with Germany’s own security requirements—it is deemed essential not to sour the atmosphere on a different front.
When asked about this connection while in Lithuania, Wadephul offered no direct answer. Instead, he employed the very word that Merz had already introduced over the weekend to justify Berlin’s decision to take its time in legally assessing the events in Venezuela—a word that continued to be heard repeatedly from government circles throughout Monday: *complex*. "It is a complex situation that demands a precise analysis from all of us," says Wadephul. Shortly before boarding his plane in Berlin that morning, while speaking on *Deutschlandfunk* radio, he had—in response to a question regarding the international-law assessment stated that he does not head an institute for international law, but rather serves as the "chief foreign policy official."
One argument cited in Berlin to justify this restraint in judgment is that the government in Venezuela lacks legitimacy—and indeed, its president is not recognized by Germany. Wadephul also points this out. If current developments were to lead to fair elections, that would surely be "a positive development," he says. While the minister himself adopts a pragmatic stance, his party's foreign policy experts are even more explicit. "We do ourselves no favors if we pass a hasty judgment now and thereby get into a dispute with the US President—a man whose support we actually want to win," Jürgen Hardt, the Christian Democrat who serves as the Union parliamentary group's foreign policy spokesperson, told *Bayerischer Rundfunk*. While acknowledging that there are indeed "quite a few question marks" from the perspective of international law, he argues that Germany's primary objective must be to exert influence on US policy in those areas "where it directly concerns us." He notes that this approach has already proven successful with regard to Ukraine policy. Armin Laschet (CDU), Chairman of the Bundestag's Committee on Foreign Affairs, strikes a similar note. "Would it be wise for Europeans to decide now to issue a one-sided condemnation of US President Donald Trump?" Laschet asks. The likely result, he suggests, would be a loss of influence in Ukraine policy.
The message from the CDU's foreign policy experts is unequivocal: Kyiv is closer than Caracas.
Their Social Democratic coalition partner, however, does not view matters quite so dispassionately. Over the weekend, SPD Chairman Lars Klingbeil—who also serves as Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor—issued a statement in which he leveled sharp criticism at the Maduro regime; yet, he went on to assert that such criticism could "not serve as a justification for disregarding international law." This statement could be interpreted as an indication that he believes precisely this international law is, in fact, being disregarded. On Monday, observers within the Merz camp pointed out that both Klingbeil and Merz have, after all, emphasized the importance of adhering to international law—meaning they were not far apart. Both institutions—the Chancellery and the Ministry of Finance—had coordinated their statements prior to their release.
Alongside Party Chairman Klingbeil, other SPD politicians also spoke out—and, compared to the Union parties, did so unequivocally. "This course of action is unacceptable and constitutes a grave breach of international law," stated, for instance, Deputy Parliamentary Group Leader Siemtje Möller. In doing so, she articulated the prevailing view within the SPD.
Nevertheless, the party finds it easier than its coalition partner to criticize Trump for his actions in Venezuela. For within the Federal Government, there is only one person responsible for maintaining reasonably stable contact with the American President: Friedrich Merz. This fact is acknowledged within the SPD without envy. Thus, it was notable that in all the statements regarding Venezuela, while Trump and Maduro appeared, but not the Federal Chancellor. The Association of Social Democratic Lawyers went the furthest; in a statement issued on Monday, it demanded that the Federal Government explicitly identify and condemn the violation of international law committed by the USA.
Moreover, within the SPD itself, one might reasonably assume that Ukraine lies closer to Merz’s heart than Venezuela.
The Social Democrats support Merz in no area as strongly as they do in his Ukraine policy.
When, late last year, he brought the Ukrainian and American sides together at the negotiating table in Berlin, his coalition partner was full of praise and appreciation. Merz’s camp, for its part, acknowledges and accepts that the pressure within the SPD to critically assess Trump’s actions is significantly higher. Thus, the Venezuela issue does not appear likely to trigger the first coalition spat of the year.
The opposition, meanwhile, is free to play its hand without restraint. Deborah Düring, foreign policy spokesperson for the Green Party parliamentary group, told the *F.A.Z.* that Merz had failed to grasp "the gravity of the situation." "The international order, which is founded upon international law, is in a state of disintegration. Anyone who fails to take a stand on this issue contributes to the erosion of international law."” [1]
1. Kiew ist Berlin näher als Caracas. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 06 Jan 2026: 4. Von Mona Jaeger, Eckart Lohse und Matthias Wyssuwa, Berlin
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