Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met Venezuela’s ambassador to Russia, Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez, on Thursday for the second time in two weeks, under pressure from the Trump administration against Nicolas Maduro.
As Belarusian state news agency Belta reported, Lukashenko received the ambassador 17 days after a first meeting which happened on November 25.
The Belarusian president said that this meeting should serve to make a “decision” on the situation in Venezuelabut did not give further details.
“Very recently you and I discussed a series of problems in our relationships, on the situation around Venezuela. So we agreed that you should coordinate certain issues with the leaders of Venezuela, with Nicolas Maduro. That after coordinating certain matters, you find time to come back to me so that we can make the corresponding decision, which falls within our competence. And if necessary, Next we will involve the President of Venezuela“, indicated the head of state.
These meetings come amid US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Caracas, who recently said Maduro, whom he does not recognize as Venezuela’s president, “has his days numbered” in addition to accusing him of being a drug trafficker.
Since September, Washington has maintained an unprecedented military deployment in the Caribbean and near the Venezuelan coast under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking reaching the United States, which Maduro considers a “threat” and an attempt to distance him from power.
Trump and Maduro admitted calling each other on November 21 but details of the conversation have not been made public.
Lukashenko recognized the friendly ties between Belarus and Venezuela and invited Maduro’s ambassador to visit his country, just as he assured that he would “make an effort” to “find time” to visit Venezuela.
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