Russia on Monday voiced “full support” for Venezuela as tensions escalated with the United States over a blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers in the Caribbean, a dispute set to be discussed at the United Nations Security Council this week.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the pledge followed a phone call between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil, during which the two condemned U.S. actions as destabilizing and a threat to international shipping.
“The Russian side reaffirmed its full support for and solidarity with the Venezuelan leadership and people in the current context,” the ministry said, warning that Washington’s moves in the Caribbean Sea could have serious regional consequences.
The call came ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting requested by Caracas, with backing from Russia and China, to address what Venezuela describes as ongoing U.S. aggression. The dispute has intensified since U.S. forces seized two Venezuelan oil tankers and began pursuing a third, according to U.S. officials cited by AFP.
Since September, the United States has launched strikes on vessels it claims were involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, allegations Caracas has rejected. More than 100 people have been killed in the operations, some identified by families and local authorities as fishermen.
