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Topics: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Russia
Phoebe Tonks
Topics: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Russia
Russian president Vladimir Putin has contacted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to extend his support as the South American’s feud with Donald Trump amps up a notch.
Putin reached out directly to Maduro just hours after the United States seized a sanctioned an oil tanker in Venezuela, something Caracas itself had dubbed an act of ‘piracy.’
According to the Kremlin, Putin 'expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people' and 'confirmed his support for the Maduro government's policy aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure'.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela have grown increasingly strained in recent weeks, with Trump calling for Maduro to step down, however things took a startling turn on Wednesday when he revealed the news about the seized oil tanker.
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"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening," said Trump.
Asked what would happen with the oil that had been confiscated, Trump said: "We keep it, I guess”
The news outraged Venezuela who accused the US of ‘blatant theft’ and dubbed the seizure 'an act of international piracy'.
Trump has also been left facing an increasingly strained relationship with Russia too, as attempts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine have ended at a stalemate.
However, the relationship between Venezuela and Russia has only gone from strength to strength, with the nations sharing a friendly relationship over the past 12 months.
In Putin’s call, he ‘categorically reaffirmed his support' for Maduro’s leadership of Venezuela and insisted that lines of communication between Moscow and Caracas would 'remain permanently open'.
He also promised to help the country to ‘assert its sovereignty’ and support, ‘international law, and peace throughout Latin America.’
You could be forgiven for thinking that Trump may be wary of the newfound alliance.
However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the call from Putin was not ‘concerning to the president at all.’
Instead, he has doubled down on sanctions on Venezuela, which now cover six more oil tankers and members of Maduro’s extended family.
Trump also chillingly threatened to begin strikes on suspected narcotics shipments making their way to the US via land from Venezuela.