Russia reacts to US attack on Venezuela, expresses concern over ‘act of armed aggression’
In the early hours of Saturday, the US carried out a ‘large scale strike against’ Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife
Russia expressed concern over the attacks by US, and condemned what it described as an "act of armed aggression" against Venezuela.
"This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Saturday, reported AFP.
"Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism," it added.
"In the current situation, it is important... to prevent further escalation and to focus on finding a way out of the situation through dialogue," the statement from the ministry read.
The bombings in Venezuela came as the US military has been targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats. On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the US to combat drug trafficking.
US attacks Venezuela
In the early hours of Saturday, the US carried out a ‘large scale strike against’ Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife – who have been flown out of the country, said Trump.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed the operation was conducted in coordination with US law enforcement agencies.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,” Trump wrote.
Besides Russia, several other world leaders strongly reacted to the ‘large scale strike’ carried out by the US.
Cuba, Colombia react to US attack
Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez strongly condemned the US attack on social media, calling it a “criminal attack” against Venezuela and urging the international community to respond quickly.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also reacted to the strikes by US, stating: “The Government of Colombia rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America."
Petro also posted a video of civilian casualties following US' attack.
Livemint could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Why US attacked Venezuela?
US' ‘large scale strike’ against Venezuela follows months of military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean.
The US has repeatedly accused the Venezuelan leader of being one of the world’s leading narco-traffickers – alleging that he worked with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine.
In 2020, federal prosecutors claimed that Maduro and other senior Venezuelan government officials collaborated with the Colombian guerilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC, to traffic cocaine and weapons to the United States.
More recently, Washington has stepped up enforcement actions in the region – seized two oil tankers off Venezuela, launched deadly strikes on more than 30 boats the administration says were carrying drugs, and struck what President Trump called “the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.”
