US' Rubio urges democracy, elections in Venezuela at G7 talks: Canada

WASHINGTON

Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Tuesday that the Group of Seven (G7) top diplomats had concluded a Venezuela-focused meeting.

"We heard from (US) Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio on the importance of freeing political prisoners, putting in place conditions for a functioning democracy, and planning for elections with a legitimate president chosen by the Venezuelan people in the future," Anand said in a statement.

Anand said the ministers agreed to continue coordinated dialogue on upholding international law and addressing other global conflicts.

The discussions also included security guarantees aimed at supporting Ukraine’s sovereign future, she added.

US forces launched widespread airstrikes early Saturday on targets in northern Venezuela, including air defense systems and communications infrastructure, while special operations forces conducted a raid in the capital Caracas to seize the country's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

During the first hearing in their trial on drug- and weapons-related charges, both Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Trump administration has framed the operation as part of a revived enforcement of the Monroe Doctrine and a crackdown on alleged narco-trafficking and corruption, while also explicitly linking it to securing US influence over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.

Anand said that while Canada has opposed Maduro, it is now focused on "supporting the democratic will of the Venezuelan people as well as regional and hemispheric stability."