Moscow will continue to support Venezuela’s government despite the U.S. capture of the country’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro, Russian government officials said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez soon after U.S. Army Delta Force commandos snatched Mr. Maduro out of the country as part of Operation Absolute Resolve.
“Sergey Lavrov expressed firm solidarity with the people of Venezuela confronting an armed aggression,” Russian Foreign Ministry officials said Sunday in a statement. “Russia will keep supporting the policy of the [Venezuelan] Government to protect the country’s national interests and sovereignty.”
Russia and Venezuela have a close, longstanding partnership, with Moscow acting as a key ally to provide Caracas with political, economic and military support. The Kremlin has provided significant quantities of military hardware to Venezuela, and China has also emerged as a major backer of the Maduro regime.
Moscow called on Washington to “reconsider” its position and release Mr. Maduro, whom the Kremlin called the “legitimately elected president of a sovereign country.” Mr. Lavrov and Ms. Rodríguez expressed a mutual commitment to bolster a “comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Venezuela.”
“We highlight the need to create conditions for resolving any existing issues between the United States and Venezuela through dialogue,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Chinese officials strongly condemned Operation Absolute Resolve, calling it a “flagrant use of force by the United States against a sovereign country.”
“This kind of hegemonic behavior by the United States seriously violates international law, infringes on the sovereignty of Venezuela, and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Zhu Jingyang, Beijing’s ambassador to Colombia, said Saturday in a statement. “We ask the United States to respect international law and the purposes and principles of the charter of the United Nations and to stop infringing on the sovereignty and security of other countries.”
China is the primary buyer of Venezuelan oil and a critical energy partner to the Maduro regime. Beijing received about 746,000 barrels per day in November, representing about 80% of the country’s total oil exports, according to Reuters.
Mr. Maduro spoke with several Chinese officials in Caracas hours before his capture by U.S. forces and later posted images of the meeting on his Instagram page.
