Russia’s Putin affirms support for Venezuela after US seizes oil tanker

Venezuela’s allies person gained caller prominence amid US unit run and subject build-up.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has affirmed Moscow’s solidarity with Venezuela, a time aft the United States seized a sanctioned lipid tanker disconnected the Latin American country’s coast.

Putin’s speech with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro came during a telephone connected Thursday, according to the Kremlin.

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“Vladimir Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people”, the Kremlin said successful a readout.

The Russian person “confirmed his enactment for the Maduro government’s argumentation aimed astatine protecting nationalist interests and sovereignty successful the look of increasing outer pressure”, it added.

Venezuela’s authorities said the brace “reaffirmed the strategic, solid, and increasing quality of their bilateral relations”.

It added that Putin “reiterated that the channels of nonstop connection betwixt the 2 nations stay permanently unfastened and assured that Russia volition proceed to enactment Venezuela successful its conflict to uphold its sovereignty, planetary law, and bid passim Latin America”.

The lukewarm words travel arsenic the medication of US President Donald Trump continues to up unit connected Venezuela. On Tuesday, US Navy Seals boarded and seized a US-sanctioned tanker successful the Caribbean, wherever US subject assets have surged.

Caracas has called the seizure an enactment of “international piracy”.

Speaking to reporters connected Thursday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said she would not regularisation retired aboriginal actions against sanctioned tankers.

“We’re not going to basal by and ticker sanctioned vessels sail the seas with achromatic marketplace oil, the proceeds of which volition substance narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes astir the world,” she said.

Washington has not officially identified the tanker, but British maritime hazard steadfast Vanguard said the vas appeared to beryllium the crude bearer Skipper. The tanker was sanctioned successful 2022 for allegedly helping to transport lipid for the Lebanese equipped radical Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, and Iran’s Quds Force.

The US has for weeks been conducting strikes connected alleged cause smuggling boats successful the Caribbean and eastbound Pacific, with Trump repeatedly threatening to instrumentality subject enactment connected Venezuelan territory.

The Trump medication has said immoderate actions would beryllium aimed astatine Venezuela’s illicit cause trade, contempt experts dismissing claims that the state is simply a starring root of drugs smuggled into the US.

Maduro has said the unit run is aimed astatine toppling his government.

The concern has brought renewed attraction to Venezuela’s allies, which person dwindled successful caller years. Currently, lone Nicaragua and Cuba stay intimately aligned with Venezuela successful the region.

Caracas maintains adjacent ties with Russia and China, and ties with Iran person strengthened successful caller years amid shared absorption to US policy.

Critics person accused the Trump medication of utilizing subject unit successful an effort to unfastened Venezuela’s immense lipid reserves to US and Western companies, a complaint US officials person denied.