A man watches two crude oil tankers remaining anchored on Lake Maracaibo, near Maracaibo, Zulia state, Venezuela on December 17, 2025. ALEJANDRO PAREDES / AFP
Russia on Monday, December 22, expressed "full support" for Venezuela as the South American country confronts a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers by US forces deployed in the Caribbean, the two governments said.
In a phone call, the foreign ministers of the two allied countries blasted the US actions, which have included bombing alleged drug-trafficking boats and more recently the seizure of two tankers. A third ship was being pursued, a US official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday.
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"The ministers expressed their deep concern over the escalation of Washington's actions in the Caribbean Sea, which could have serious consequences for the region and threaten international shipping," the Russian foreign ministry said of the call between ministers Sergei Lavrov and Yvan Gil. "The Russian side reaffirmed its full support for and solidarity with the Venezuelan leadership and people in the current context," it added.
