CARACAS, March 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuela’s vice-president reiterated support for Russia on Thursday following a meeting with the country’s foreign minister in Turkey, where Moscow and Kyiv have been holding high-level talks.
The meeting between Delcy Rodriguez and Russian top diplomat Sergei Lavrov came days after a surprise US delegation visit to meet President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, as Washington seeks to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
“We held a meeting with our good friend Sergei Lavrov,” Rodriguez tweeted after the meeting, which also involved Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia and high-ranking Turkish officials.
“We reviewed our strategic bilateral relations and the complex international scenario,” she said, adding that: “Venezuela reaffirmed the principle of sovereign equality of states as a way to maintain balance for the sake of peace.”
While Washington has strongly backed Ukraine against Russian aggression, leading the global push for sanctions against Russia, Venezuela is a close Russian ally, and has made multiple statements of support for Moscow.
US relations with Venezuela have been icy: the White House does not recognize the 2018 re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and has imposed a battery of sanctions seeking to displace the socialist ruler, including an embargo on oil imports.
But a recent high-level US visit to Caracas, followed by the release of two American detainees in the country, appeared to mark a turning point.
As Washington looks for ways to replace Russian oil imports — banned over the invasion of Ukraine — it has confirmed “energy security” was on the agenda of talks in Caracas, fueling speculation it might again start
importing Venezuelan oil. — NNN-AGENCIES
