Putin doubles down on backing Maduro amid mounting US pressure on Venezuela

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro connected Thursday and reassured him of Moscow’s enactment arsenic the Venezuelan person faces escalating outer pressure, according to a connection from the Kremlin.

In the call, reported by Reuters, Putin expressed enactment for Maduro’s authorities "in the look of increasing outer pressure," arsenic the United States nether President Donald Trump continues to propulsion for Maduro’s removal from office. Washington has accrued subject enactment successful the Caribbean arsenic portion of its unit campaign.

The Kremlin said the 2 leaders discussed their shared involvement successful advancing a strategical concern statement and moving guardant connected associated projects successful the economical and vigor sectors. Moscow has agelong viewed Venezuela arsenic a cardinal spouse successful Latin America, peculiarly arsenic some governments look isolation and planetary sanctions.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro. (Maxim Shemetov/AFP/Getty Images))

The telephone came 1 time aft the United States seized a massive, U.S.-sanctioned Venezuelan lipid tanker disconnected the country’s coast, escalating already tense relations betwixt Caracas and Washington.

According to Fox News Digital's report, the Venezuelan authorities condemned the seizure arsenic a usurpation of its sovereignty and accused Washington of hostile enactment against its economical interests. The Trump medication has intensified enforcement targeting Venezuela’s lipid sector, which remains the backbone of Maduro’s authorities contempt years of decline.

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Venezuelan person Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword during an lawsuit astatine the subject academy successful Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that national agencies, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Coast Guard, carried retired the tanker cognition and released unclassified video footage of the seizure. The determination followed a national warrant tied to sanctions violations.

President Trump publically acknowledged the operation, describing the vas arsenic the largest tanker ever seized by the United States. Reuters reported that the enactment caused lipid prices to emergence and added caller strain to U.S.–Venezuela relations.

Russia–Venezuela ties

Russia and Venezuela person maintained a adjacent narration for much than 2 decades, a concern that deepened during the presidency of Hugo Chávez and continued nether Nicolás Maduro. According to Reuters, practice betwixt the 2 countries has focused connected defense, vigor accumulation and fiscal assistance.

Over the past respective years, Moscow has supplied subject instrumentality to Caracas, supported Venezuela’s authorities lipid institution done associated ventures, and extended loans and recognition lines that person helped support parts of the country’s lipid assemblage functioning. Venezuela has taken billions of dollars successful Russian loans and financing arrangements tied to Venezuela’s crude exports.

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Soldiers with their faces painted march during a subject parade to observe the 205th day of Venezuela's independency successful Caracas, Venezuela July 5, 2016. (Carlos Jasso/Reuters)

Despite planetary sanctions targeting some governments, Russia has consistently treated Venezuela arsenic a strategical partner. The U.S. Congressional Research Service reports picture the narration arsenic durable and mostly unaffected by short-term governmental shifts oregon outer pressure. Moscow has continued to connection diplomatic backing and economical practice adjacent arsenic Venezuela’s home situation worsened and U.S. unit campaigns intensified.

Fox News Digital's Ashley Carnahan, the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to the story.