Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Thursday by telephone his support for his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro, in the face of American military mobilization in the Caribbean and the seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. According to the Kremlin, the two leaders also confirmed their “mutual commitment” to implementing joint projects, particularly in the economic, energy and trade sectors.
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- Newspaper: The US action against an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast marks the start of an economic offensive to put pressure on Maduro.
“Vladimir Putin expressed his solidarity with the Venezuelan people and confirmed his support for the policies of the Maduro government, which aims to protect national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure,” the Russian government said in a summary of the conversation.
The Maduro government reported shortly after that the two leaders “reaffirmed the strategic, solid and growing nature of bilateral relations,” according to a statement from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.
Putin told Maduro that “channels of direct communication between the two nations remain open at all times” and assured that Russia would continue to support Venezuela in its fight to assert its sovereignty, international law and peace throughout Latin America, according to the statement.
Maduro, a faithful ally of the Russian leader, announced in May a new rapprochement between Moscow and Caracas with the signing of a cooperation treaty.
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The United States has stepped up economic and military measures to increase pressure on the Venezuelan president, whom it accuses of running a drug cartel, an accusation he denies. In a recent interview, President Donald Trump said Maduro’s days are “numbered.”
The Chavistas in turn accuse Washington of wanting to overthrow him to seize his country’s oil. A U.S. offensive near the coast resulted in more than 20 attacks on ships and killed more than 80 people.
The alliance between Caracas and Moscow strengthened under the government of the late Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) and continued to expand under Maduro’s leadership.
Venezuela, for example, has expressed support for Russia in the war against Ukraine, while Moscow is on Maduro’s side amid questions over his re-election – not recognized by Washington – due to allegations of fraud by the opposition, which has claimed victory for exiled Edmundo González Urrutia in the 2024 presidential elections.
Cuba condemns oil tanker seizure
Cuba expressed its “strong condemnation” on Thursday of the seizure by the United States of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, one of its allies in the region, to which Havana declared its “absolute support”. Trump announced the seizure of the ship on Wednesday, an operation that Caracas called a “brazen theft” and “an act of international piracy.”
“We express the strongest report on the attack on the Venezuelan tanker by the military forces of the United States, an act of piracy that highlights an escalation of American aggression against the Bolivarian Revolution,” denounced in X the Prime Minister of Cuba, Manuel Marrero.
“We ratify our absolute support for the homeland of Bolívar and Chávez,” added the Cuban leader, in reference to the liberator Simón Bolívar (1783-1830) and to former president Hugo Chávez (1999-2013), ally of Havana.
The tanker was used for years by Venezuela and Iran to transport oil, despite international assessments against both countries, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said. Named Skipper, it transported 1.1 million barrels of crude oil subject to expertise, according to the specialist site MarineTraffic.
According to the Washington Post, the shipment was on its way to Cuba to deliver oil.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry denounced “a brazen theft and an act of international piracy, publicly announced by the President of the United States”.
The American government deployed a major military presence in the Caribbean a few months ago, under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking. But the seizure of the tanker is unprecedented in this crisis. Hydrocarbons constitute Venezuela’s main source of income.
In turn, Cuba, subject to the American embargo, finds itself plunged into a serious economic crisis, with a marked shortage of foreign currencies. The country has suffered from a serious lack of fuel for two years, which is affecting economic life and electricity production.
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