BRUSSELS (AFP)

The EU called for "restraint" and respect for international law in Venezuela on Saturday after President Donald Trump announced US forces had captured leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale assault.

"The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition," the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas wrote on X after speaking with her US counterpart Marco Rubio.

"Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint," she wrote.