US must end unlawful measures against Venezuela: Russia
Russia has called on the United States to drop “unlawful measures” against Venezuela, warning that they are causing harm to the people of the Latin American country.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Wednesday that the unilateral US sanctions against Venezuela were worsening the humanitarian situation in the country.
“Once again we are urging an end to unlawful measures for the sake of improving the humanitarian situation in Venezuela. Contrary to any logic, the administration [of US President Donald Trump] has been declaring ever more ways of stepping up pressure on Caracas. There have been threats of a sea blockade. Has the experience of a failed half-a-century-long blockade of Cuba not taught Washington a lesson?” Zakharova said.
The Russian official said the Venezuelan opposition was seeking to topple the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro by fanning artificial tensions in the country.
“This is well seen in the [opposition-controlled] National Assembly’s decision to resume participation in the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance,” Zakharova said. “The way we see it, it is an extremely destructive move and a very dangerous precedent for the whole region.”
Washington has imposed several rounds of sanctions against Caracas to oust Maduro and have him replaced with opposition figure Juan Guaido, who declared himself “interim president” earlier this year.
The Latin American country has been beset by political turbulence, and the opposition has resorted to inordinate measures and violence in an attempt to unseat the Maduro government, which nevertheless continues to stand.
Trump’s administration has illegally confiscated Venezuela’s state oil assets based in the US and has been channeling them to Guaido.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the United States as rounds of sanctions failed to turn Venezuela’s military against Maduro.
The US threatened Russia with new sanctions last month over its support for the elected Venezuelan government. The White House’s point man for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, said the new sanctions against Moscow would be announced on July 25.
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