JAKARTA - Russia has expressed its readiness to cooperate fully and support Venezuela in the face of the maritime blockade announced by US President Donald Trump, amid Caracas' efforts to build an alliance in response to Washington's military escalation.
In a telephone conversation, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Monday (22/12) discussed what they called hostile actions and blatant violations of international law that occurred in the Caribbean region.
Based on Gil's statement conveyed via Telegram, Moscow is committed to providing full support to Venezuela, especially through diplomatic measures at the United Nations Security Council (UN).
"Foreign Minister Lavrov firmly conveyed Russia's solidarity to the Venezuelan people and President Nicolas Maduro Moros, and reaffirmed his full support in the face of hostile actions against our country," said Gil as quoted by ANTARA.
Russia also issued a stern warning regarding the presence of the US navy, stating that Washington's move had a wide-ranging impact on regional stability and was a direct threat to the safety of international maritime transport.
The diplomatic alignment comes after Trump claimed to have deployed "the largest naval armada ever assembled in the history of South America."
Although the White House said the operation was aimed at combating the narcotics trade, the move has resulted in the seizure of two oil tankers, while US military personnel are reportedly trying to intercept a third ship.
On Saturday, Caracas announced that Iran also offered assistance to "face piracy" carried out by US forces.
Iran's Foreign Ministry called on the international community to "firmly oppose" the blockade, and called the seizure of the ship by the US an illegal and unilateral act.
Trump reiterated that the blockade would remain in place until Caracas returned "all assets" that he believed had been stolen from the US.
Venezuela responded by calling the seizure a "state-sponsored piracy" and has asked the U.N. Security Council to formally condemn the maneuver in order to safeguard global shipping.
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