Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, on Jan. 5, 2026. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that he has told U.S. President Donald Trump that "Venezuela should not be dragged into instability." "We do not condone any action that violates political legitimacy and international law, anywhere in the world," Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that he has told U.S. President Donald Trump that "Venezuela should not be dragged into instability."

"We do not condone any action that violates political legitimacy and international law, anywhere in the world," Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting.

He stressed that "breaching countries' sovereign rights and international law are risky steps that could lead to serious global complications."

"In our telephone conversation with U.S. President Mr. Trump, we also conveyed our country's concerns to him. We underlined that Venezuela should not be dragged into instability," Erdogan added, referring to a phone call he had with Trump earlier in the day.

"Regarding Venezuela, we are striving to do what is best and right, both for Türkiye and for the friendly Venezuelan people," he said, adding that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan people have always been friends of Türkiye.

Erdogan warned that a global order dominated by the "law of power" rather than the "rule of law" would inevitably lead to instability, crises and conflict.

Early on Saturday morning, the U.S. military carried out a series of strikes on Venezuela, capturing Maduro and his wife before detaining them in New York, which sparked widespread condemnation.