MOSCOW, Dec 18 (Reuters) – Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it hopes U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration does not make a fatal mistake over Venezuela and that Moscow is concerned about U.S. decisions that threaten international shipping.
Trump on Tuesday ordered a ‘blockade’ of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, as Washington tries to increase pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
There is an effective embargo in place after the US seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week, with loaded ships carrying millions of barrels of oil sitting in Venezuelan waters rather than risk being seized.
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‘We have observed the continued and deliberate escalation of tensions around Venezuela, a friendly country of ours. Of particular concern is the unilateral nature of decisions that pose a threat to international shipping,’ the Russian ministry said in a statement.
‘We hope that D. Trump’s government, which is characterized by a rational and pragmatic approach, will not make a fatal mistake.’
Moscow expressed support for the normalization of dialogue between Washington and Caracas and hopes that the US does not enter a situation that would have ‘unpredictable consequences for the entire Western Hemisphere’, he added, saying that Russia supports ‘the course of the Maduro government’.
Separately, the Kremlin called on countries in the region to show restraint.
“We see tensions rising in the region and consider this potentially very dangerous,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
‘President Putin recently had a telephone conversation with President Maduro. And, of course, we ask all countries in the region to exercise restraint in order to avoid any unpredictable developments.’
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(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin, Guy Faulconbridge and Gleb Stolyarov)
