Ryabkov: Russia stands shoulder to shoulder with Maduro

According to Isna, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in a speech on Sunday: “Russia looks at the developments around Venezuela with great concern and anxiety, because the tensions do not subside and the escalation of tensions continues.”

According to the News agency “Tass”, the deputy foreign minister of Russia emphasized: “This is primarily due to the desire to establish the undisputed dominance of the United States in the region.”

Referring to Russia’s full support for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Ryabkov said: “We declare solidarity with Venezuela. We have recently signed a cooperation and strategic partnership agreement, and we support Venezuela, as it supports us, in many areas. In these difficult times, we stand shoulder to shoulder with Caracas and the Venezuelan leadership.”

He added: “We hope that the administration of President Donald Trump will refrain from sliding further into a full-scale conflict, and we urge them to do so.”

Tensions between Washington and Caracas have escalated in recent months, and the United States has carried out numerous military and security operations in the Caribbean and around Venezuela.

Earlier, Western media reported citing people who were involved in the negotiations of the US President Donald Trump’s administration regarding a possible attack on Venezuela: “The primary targets could be drug-related facilities, including production or storage facilities used by Colombian cartels that transport cocaine through Venezuela.”

Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly mentioned that the increase in US military presence in the region is done with the aim of “overthrow” him.

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