Russia reaffirms support for Venezuela, denies Vice President Rodriguez's presence in country

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia on Saturday reaffirmed its support for the Venezuelan government and dismissed reports of Vice President Delcy Rodriguez's presence in the country as a "hoax" following a top-level phone call, the Foreign Ministry said.

After speaking with Rodriguez, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed Russia's "firm solidarity with the people of Venezuela in the face of armed aggression," the ministry said in a statement regarding the conversation.

The ministry separately told state-run news agency Tass that recent claims suggesting Rodriguez was physically present in Russia were false.

President Donald Trump said early Saturday that the US had "successfully" carried out a "large scale strike" against Venezuela, and that President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been "captured and flown out of the country."

The attacks came after months of tension with the US, which accused Maduro of being involved in drug trafficking. Maduro denied being a cartel leader and had expressed readiness to hold talks. Caracas accused the US of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states, and declared ‌a national ‌emergency.

Following the discussion between Lavrov and Rodriguez, Moscow emphasized that it will continue to support the political course of the Venezuelan government.