Washington\u2019s actions could have dire consequences, Moscow\u2019s envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has said<\/p>\n
Russia has condemned the seizure of oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela by the US military, warning it could have\u00a0\u201ccatastrophic consequences.\u201d\u00a0Earlier this week, the US Coast Guard conducted the second such operation.
\n\u201cWe strongly condemn the seizure of oil tankers by the US military and the de facto imposition of a naval blockade of Venezuela,\u201d\u00a0Moscow\u2019s envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said on Tuesday, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
\n\u201cWashington\u2019s responsibility for the catastrophic consequences of such cowboy behavior for the residents of the blockaded country is also obvious. Unfortunately, there is every reason to believe that the US actions against Venezuela are not a one-off. This unfolding intervention could become a template for future military actions against Latin American states,\u201d Nebenzia noted.
\nUS President Donald Trump has justified the blockade by claiming that the Latin American country \u201cstole\u201d US energy assets, while warning that Caracas will face the might of \u201cthe largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America\u201d unless it returns them.<\/p>\n
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Venezuelan bikers protest US \u2018piracy\u2019 (VIDEO)<\/p>\n
The US also\u00a0deployed a large number of special-operations aircraft and multiple cargo planes carrying troops and equipment to the Caribbean earlier this week, according to the Wall Street Journal.
\nThe first two oil tankers seized were operating on the black market and providing oil to countries under sanctions, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House\u2019s National Economic Council, has claimed.
\nSince September, the US military has also been conducting strikes on small boats alleged to be carrying drugs, which UN experts have condemned as unlawful extrajudicial executions.
\nWhen asked repeatedly during a press conference on Monday if Washington\u2019s intention was to force Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from power, Trump gave non-committal remarks alluding to that possibility. \u201cHe can do whatever he wants,\u201d the president responded. \u201cIf he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it will be the last time he ever plays tough.\u201d He also claimed it would be \u201csmart\u201d for Maduro to step down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington\u2019s actions could have dire consequences, Moscow\u2019s envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has said Russia has condemned the seizure of oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela by the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t