Kremlin weighs in on rising US-Venezuela tensions

Moscow urges restraint to prevent “unforeseen developments,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela carry serious risks and could lead to “unforeseen developments,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

The warning came after US President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Caracas by announcing an expansion of a partial naval blockade aimed at halting Venezuelan crude exports. The authorities in the Latin American nation, where Washington does not recognize the government, have expressed defiance.

“Of course, we are calling on all countries in the region to exercise restraint in order to avoid any unforeseen development of the situation,” Peskov said, adding that Russia considers Venezuela an important partner.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged the Trump administration to adhere to a “rational and pragmatic approach,” cautioning that missteps could amount to a “fatal mistake” and further inflame the situation.

Read more

China has voiced similar concerns. Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the People’s Republic opposes “all acts of unilateralism and bullying” and supports Venezuela’s sovereign right to “independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries.”

Trump has highlighted the US naval buildup near Venezuela, claiming the country is “completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” while demanding that Caracas return “all of the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused Washington of attempting to “impose a puppet government” that would surrender the country’s sovereignty and resources, effectively turning it into a colony. He pledged to prevent such an outcome and condemned US pressure tactics as “barbarism.”