In that context, the ambassador emphasized that the Venezuelan crisis caused a deep institutional collapse. In addition to the destruction of public freedoms, and a massive exodus of millions of people forced to leave their country. For Argentina, that displacement constitutes objective proof of the failure of the Chavista model and of its repressive nature.
Argentina's foreign policy since Milei took office
Another central axis of the presentation was devoted to Argentina's foreign policy since President Javier Milei took office. Tropepi highlighted the coherence and clarity of the stance adopted by the national government toward the Venezuelan regime.
In that regard, he stated: "Since President Javier Milei took office, Argentina has been clear and consistent in its stance toward this situation". He emphasized that Argentina denounced without ambiguity the lack of freedoms and the serious human rights violations.
The ambassador recalled that, in March 2024, Argentina granted diplomatic asylum to six Venezuelan opposition leaders. He also recalled that, after Argentina refused to recognize the fraudulent elections of July 28, the Chavista regime replied by expelling the Argentine representation and besieging its embassy in Caracas.
Argentina reconoció a Gonzalez Urrutia como el Presidente legítimo de Venezuela
The demand for the release of Nahuel Gallo
The final section of the address was devoted exclusively to the case of Nahuel Gallo. At that point, the ambassador was categorical and recorded Argentina's demand in the official minutes.
"The Argentine Republic requests that the authorities in charge of administering the transition in Venezuela contribute to the immediate release of the Argentine citizen Nahuel Gallo, and that his prompt and safe return to our country be guaranteed".
El gendarme argentino desaparecido por la dictadura venezolana
Gallo has remained missing since December 8, 2024, after being kidnapped and taken to a clandestine detention center. By presenting the case before the Security Council, Argentina registered it as an immediate obligation for any authority that administers the Venezuelan transition.
A firm stance before the international community
With this address, the Argentine government set out a clear stance before the international community: Maduro's arrest opens a new scenario that requires judicial responsibilities, firm political definitions, and urgent decisions. Among them, one concrete signal of a break with the narco-dictatorship: the immediate release of Nahuel Gallo and his safe return to Argentina.
Argentina explicitly supported at the United Nations the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and demanded the immediate release of Nahuel Gallo. The position was presented by the Argentine ambassador to the UN, Francisco Tropepi, during a session convened to analyze Venezuela's institutional situation after the capture of the former dictator.
In his address, the Argentine diplomat supported the operation carried out by the United States to place Maduro at the disposal of the U.S. federal justice system. The charges that he will face will be for his links to drug trafficking and transnational terrorism.
In one of the central passages of his speech, Tropepi stated: "The Government of the Argentine Republic values the decision and determination demonstrated by the President of the United States and by his government in the recent actions taken in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of the dictator Nicolás Maduro."
Mientras la izquierda llora, los venezolanos festejan
Maduro as the head of a narco-terrorist structure
The ambassador went further and described the former Venezuelan president as the head of an organized criminal structure. He maintained that Maduro is "leader of the Cartel of the Suns," an organization that Argentina declared terrorist in 2025, together with the Tren de Aragua.
That definition was not presented as an isolated gesture, but as part of a legal and political strategy. This strategy is aimed at recognizing the narco-terrorist nature of the regime that ruled Venezuela for more than two decades.
Tropepi placed Maduro's arrest within a broader historical process. He recalled that the Venezuelan narco-dictatorship was consolidated starting in 1999, first under the leadership of Hugo Chávez and then under Maduro's command.
El embajador definicó a Maduro como Jefe de una estructura criminal
Both combined the authoritarian control of the State with drug trafficking networks, structural corruption, and systematic human rights violations. According to his explanation, that framework not only devastated Venezuelan society but also represented a concrete threat to regional security.
