Russian President Vladimir Putin “expressed solidarity” with Venezuelan President Nicola Maduro during a phone call between the two leaders on Thursday.
According to a brief statement published by the Kremlin, Putin and Maduro “exchanged views” on the further development of the friendly relations established between the countries by a strategic partnership agreement in November.
Venezuela’s parliament signed the treaty into law on Oct. 7, Putin’s birthday.
“Vladimir Putin expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and reaffirmed his support of the policies of the Maduro government aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty amid growing external pressure,” the statement reads.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced the seizure of a US-sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. According to calculations by the BBC, the ship’s cargo could be worth as much as $95 million – and Trump says the US will keep it.
Trump has justified numerous lethal air strikes on vessels in Venezuelan waters in recent months as part of his so-called war on drugs – promising on Dec. 3 to begin land strikes on Venezuela “soon.”
In late November, Trump redoubled his efforts to force an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with a 28-point peace plan drafted by US officials with input from the Kremlin.
In its original form, the plan would have seen Ukraine forswear NATO membership, limit the size of its armed forces, and cede territory that Russia has been thus far unable to win on the battlefield.
After Ukrainian and European negotiators revised the plan to make it less unilaterally favorable to Russia, Trump’s envoys delivered it to the Kremlin. Despite a five-hour discussion, Putin did not accept the proposal.
On Thursday evening, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US president was “extremely frustrated” with both Kyiv and Moscow.
“He doesn’t want any more talk. He wants action. He wants this war to come to an end,” Leavitt told reporters.
According to the Kremlin statement, Putin and Maduro reaffirmed their mutual commitment to joint projects in “energy, finance, culture, and humanitarian affairs,” among others.