Paris, Jan. 3 -- France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Saturday expressed a neutral stance regarding the US-led operation that captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, saying that the "voice of the Venezuelan people must take precedence".

Barrot said that while Maduro has undermined the rights and dignity of the Venezuelan people, any political solution must come from the Venezuelans themselves.

In a post on X, Barrot said, "By confiscating power from the Venezuelan people and depriving them of their fundamental freedoms, Nicolas Maduro has gravely undermined their dignity and their right to self-determination. France has consistently committed itself, particularly through its mediation efforts, ...