Russia, China urge Maduro’s release after US abduction

Tehran - BORNA - On Sunday, China’s Foreign Ministry urged Washington to stop its regime change efforts and advance a diplomatic path to resolve issues with Venezuela.

“China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, release them at once, stop toppling the government of Venezuela, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation,” it said.

The ministry also expressed grave concerns about the US’s forcible abduction of Maduro, saying the move is “in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”

Previously, Beijing said it was “deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the US’s blatant use of force” against Venezuela.

After months of threats, the US bombed Venezuela and kidnapped Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence in the capital of Caracas. The pair were taken to a detention center in New York, where they will stand trial for alleged drug trafficking-related charges.

US President Donald Trump said Washington will "run" Venezuela for now and tap its oil reserves.

Many analysts and politicians said that the true motive for the illegal attack was not combating drug trafficking but plundering Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world. 

In recent months, the US has piled pressure on Venezuela by dispatching warships and fighter jets to the region, conducting lethal strikes on suspected drug boats, and seizing oil tankers going in and out of the Latin American country.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Belarusian counterpart, Maxim Ryzhenkov, held a telephone conversation, during which they called for Maduro’s release from US custody.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said both diplomats emphasized “the absolute need to immediately release the legitimate President of Venezuela … and his wife, return them to the country's capital, and reinstate Nicolas Maduro as head of state.”

Lavrov and Ryzhenkov further discussed the situation in Venezuela and stressed that their countries are united in condemning the US aggression against a sovereign state, according to the ministry.

The two sides further noted the importance of a dialogue-based solution to the Venezuela crisis in accordance with international law.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also said on Sunday that Maduro and his wife must be released without any undue delay.

In an X post, he described the US military action against Venezuela as “unusual” in its “scope and nature,” saying such raids “constitute a clear violation of international law and amount to an unlawful use of force against a sovereign state.” 

“Whatever may be the reasons, the forcible removal of a sitting head of government through external action sets a dangerous precedent,” Ibrahim added.

“It erodes fundamental restraints on the use of power between states and weakens the legal framework that underpins international order.”

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