Russia has begun the urgent evacuation of its diplomats from a major South American country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has begun the evacuation of diplomats' families from Venezuela, reported the Associated Press, citing a European intelligence representative. According to the agency's source, the evacuation of women and children started on Friday, December 19. The Russian Foreign Ministry, of course, denies this information.
For his part, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil stated that he spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who expressed support for Venezuela in light of the blockade of oil tankers announced by Donald Trump.
"The Russian Foreign Minister confirmed that Russia will provide Venezuela with comprehensive assistance and support in countering the blockade, expressing full support for the actions taken within the framework of the UN Security Council," Gil's statement said.
In early autumn, the United States sent its most modern aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, along with destroyers and fighter jets, to the Caribbean Sea, and since September, has been striking vessels that are alleged to be transporting drugs. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president and accuses the country's government of insufficient efforts to combat drug trafficking. On December 17, Trump announced that he had ordered a complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers heading to and from Venezuela.
In early September, CNN reported that Trump was considering the option of striking drug cartels on Venezuelan territory; however, as of mid-November, Trump had not yet made a decision on whether to conduct a ground operation in Venezuela.
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