MOSCOW/UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON – Russia on Thursday urged the US administration not to make a "fatal mistake" on Venezuela, warning of unpredictable consequences for the Western Hemisphere.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on Washington to refrain from further escalating the situation, “which could lead to unpredictable consequences for the entire Western Hemisphere.”
The ministry reiterated Russia's support for the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, emphasizing the need to protect national interests and sovereignty and to ensure that Latin America remains a zone of peace.
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Meanwhile, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Venezuela on Tuesday, the Security Council presidency confirmed on Thursday.
"In response to your questions, I can confirm that the Presidency intends to convene a meeting on Venezuela on Tuesday at 3 pm," Laura Miklic, spokeswoman for the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations, told Xinhua.
The emergency meeting was reportedly requested by Venezuela.
Slovenia holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of December.
5 killed as US strikes 2 vessels in Eastern Pacific
The US military on Thursday destroyed two more suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters in the eastern Pacific, killing five people aboard.
“On Dec 18, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters," the US Southern Command said in a press release.
“A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions – three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel,” the release said, adding that intelligence had confirmed that both boats were involved in narco-trafficking operations.
The Pentagon has sunk more than 28 alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September, killing at least 104 people aboard.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that the US military would begin land strikes targeting drug traffickers in the Caribbean "very soon," escalating tension between the US and Venezuela.
For almost four months, the US has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as a thinly veiled attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas.
