Russia urges US to release Venezuelan president, wife

Russia has urged the US administration to release Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, whom Washington announced it had abducted on Saturday from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its Telegram channel, : “In light of confirmed reports that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife are in the United States, we strongly urge the US administration to reconsider its position and release the legitimately elected president of a sovereign state and his wife.”

It stressed the need to create conditions for resolving any outstanding issues between the United States and Venezuela through dialogue.

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump announced the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and their removal from the country.

Trump wrote in a post on the Truth Social platform: “The United States of America successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, and US law enforcement authorities participated in the operation,” he claimed.