Russia, China denounce U.S. capture of Maduro and back his government
Russian officials said Moscow will continue backing Venezuela’s government despite the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro, News.Az reports, citing The Washington Times.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez shortly after U.S. Army Delta Force commandos detained Maduro during 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.”
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