Russian politicians say Trump action on Venezuela unlawful

Russia’s Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev and a senior lawmaker said over the weekend that U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela were unlawful and destabilising, while portraying them as a blunt assertion of U.S. interests.



The comments followed Trump’s statement that the United States struck Venezuela and that Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country, prompting international reaction and calls for urgent UN discussions.



Medvedev told TASS on Sunday that Trump’s behaviour was illegal but internally coherent because it pursued U.S. interests.



Medvedev said Latin America was viewed as the United States’ “backyard” and suggested Trump was seeking leverage over Venezuela’s oil supplies.

“Uncle Sam’s main motivation has always been simple: other people’s supplies,” Medvedev said.



He added that if such an operation were carried out against a stronger country, it would be seen as an act of war.



Alexei Pushkov, a Russian senator ⁠who chairs a Federation Council commission on information policy, said the operation and Trump’s rhetoric might prove less effective than their dramatic impact.