US operation in Venezuela a ‘flagrant violation’ of international law – Lavrov
The US attack on Venezuela earlier this month in which President Nicolas Maduro was abducted was a blatant violation of international law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference after meeting with Namibian Foreign Minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Lavrov stated that Moscow’s assessment of the US operation in Caracas remains unchanged. He added that the condemnation is shared by the overwhelming “global majority,” including the Global South and East.
”Only Western Europeans and other allies of Washington try to shamefully avoid the principled assessments, although everybody understands that we’re talking about a flagrant violation of international law,” the foreign minister said.
Speaking at the UN Security Council last week, Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia described Maduro’s abduction as “a cynical crime that cannot be justified.” Chinese envoy Sun Lei also condemned the US, saying the military intervention in Venezuela threatens peace and security in the region.
The US military launched an attack against the oil-rich country on January 3, abducting Maduro and his wife. They were taken to a US warship and later flown to New York, where they appeared in court last week on charges of drug-trafficking conspiracy. Both pleaded not guilty.
After the kidnapping, US President Donald Trump said Washington would “run” Venezuela while cooperating with officials in Caracas until a transition is achieved. He stressed that the US needs “total access… to the oil and to other things in their country.”
Days later, Trump announced that Venezuela’s interim authorities would “turn over” 30 to 50 million barrels of “sanctioned oil” to be sold and “used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.”
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, a close ally of Maduro, said neither the US nor any other “foreign agent” will control Venezuela. Rodriguez signaled openness to “cooperation” with the US, but vowed that her country “will never return to being the colony of another empire.”
