Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov reiterated that his country insists on the immediate release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, according to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In statements to the TASS news agency, reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the deputy minister described the actions orchestrated by the United States on January 3 in Venezuelan territory as a violation of international law and a threat to the security of a sovereign nation.
When questioned about Moscow’s willingness to grant political asylum to the South American leader should he be released, Riabkov emphasized that any future scenario can only be considered after the release of Maduro and Cilia Flores.
“The first step, without which everything else remains purely hypothetical, is the release of Maduro and his wife,” the diplomat commented.
“What the future disposition will be? That’s a separate issue. And right now, there’s simply no reason to talk about it,” the deputy minister concluded.
Under the pretext of combating narcoterrorism, Washington launched a massive military aggression on January 3 in Venezuelan territory, impacting the capital city of Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
The operation concluded with the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were forcibly taken to New York City.
The targeted areas were primarily of military interest, housing air defense equipment and communications systems, although urban areas were also affected, resulting in many civilian deaths and casualties.
Since then, Venezuelan authorities have described Washington’s actions as a “very serious military aggression,” while also warning that the objective “is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to forcibly break the nation’s political independence.”
For its part, the Ministry of the Interior, Justice, and Peace of the Latin American country confirmed that at least 100 people died in the military offensive, including 32 Cuban combatants who were carrying out missions at the request of Venezuelan armed forces and security agencies.
The majority of the international community advocates for the release of Maduro and his wife and insists that Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to decide its own destiny without any external interference.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
