News of the week in plain Finnish | Saturday 10.1.2026

US actions in Venezuela

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US actions in Venezuela

Yle has slightly revamped its weekend news programs.

In this Saturday’s program, we will talk more about one of the news stories of the week.

The program is now called Weekly News in Plain Finnish.

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US authorities were leading Maduro. Photo: Ron Sach / AOP

Nicolas Maduro

This week’s news topic is the US strike on Venezuela and its significance.

The US arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the president’s wife and took them to New York, USA.

After that, US President Donald Trump said that the US controls Venezuela.

International rules

Yle has interviewed Professor Martti Koskenniemi, an expert in international law.

Koskenniemi says that the US attack on Venezuela violated international rules and the UN Charter because there was no legal basis for the attack.

Koskenniemi says that such actions make it difficult to comply with international rules. They increase the insecurity of small countries.

Koskenniemi says that the US’s actions are reminiscent of Russia’s actions when Russia attacked Ukraine.

Both superpowers think that they have their own territories, or spheres of influence, where they can use force and influence the affairs of small countries.

This kind of thinking is bad for smaller countries, such as Finland.

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International law expert, emeritus professor Martti Koskenniemi. Photo: Tiina Jutila / Yle

Finland’s political leadership has commented on the events in Venezuela only cautiously.

The President and Secretary of State have not directly condemned the US actions, but they have said that it is important to comply with international law.

Professor Koskenniemi says that Finland is dependent on US support, especially in relation to Russia.

That’s why Finland should remain silent and just remind us that the rules must be followed.

US legal system

Finally, Koskenniemi reminds us that the President of Venezuela and the President’s wife are awaiting trial in the USA.

They are accused of drug trafficking, for example.

Koskenniemi trusts that the US legal system operates independently, and that political decisions cannot be dictated from outside.

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Maduro was a dictator in Venezuela, but Donald Trump’s actions are causing concern in many countries. Photo: Juan Barreto / AFP, Jim Watson / AFP

Repetition

The weekly news in plain Finnish reported on the US attack on Venezuela and its international significance.

The US violated international rules when it arrested the Venezuelan president.

Such actions affect international relations. Finland is cautious in its statements because the USA is an important partner for Finland.

This was the news of the week in plain Finnish. See you again, bye!