Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (left) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 7, 2025. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/EFE.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pledged his full support to Russia on Sunday regarding his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s initiative to resume, without preconditions, direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which failed in 2022 following imperialist pressures by the United States and the United Kingdom.
“I truly want to express the joy of our government, of our people, of Venezuela,” said President Maduro from St. Petersburg, “for this announcement from a man who defends the interests of his country, but who has a very clear understanding of the entire panorama of what world peace should be, and to express from this heroic city—yesterday Leningrad, today St. Petersburg—the full support of Venezuela and, I’m sure, of the majority of the governments and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, for the efforts of President Putin, of Russia.”
The Venezuelan leader then emphasized that it is a matter of “returning to the path that should not have been abandoned, the path of direct dialogue, of understanding without any kind of interventionism, between Russia and Ukraine” in order to “take the path of peace, of a just peace, achieved once again.”
“Russia has the right to peace. The peoples of the world have the right to peace,” said President Maduro. “So, full support for President Vladimir Putin, full support for Russia.”
In his press review of the results of the international events and meetings held during the Victory Day celebrations, President Putin offered to restart the talks and reiterated that Russia has never abandoned dialogue with the Ukrainian side as Kiev did when it abruptly exited negotiations with Moscow in 2022.
The Russian president proposed resuming direct talks next Thursday, May 15, in the Turkish city of Istanbul, where negotiations between the two sides in the conflict had previously been held before Ukraine decided to abandon them.
“We have repeatedly proposed ceasefire measures and have never rejected dialogue with the Ukrainian side,” said President Putin. “It was not us who broke off the negotiations in 2022; it was the Ukrainian side. In this regard, despite everything, we propose that the Kiev authorities resume the negotiations that were interrupted at the end of 2022.”
“We propose to begin without delay next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul, where they were previously held and where they were interrupted,” added President Putin.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it has never refused peace negotiations. “Russia has never refused contacts with the Europeans. Russia has never refused to negotiate with Ukraine,” added the Russian president. “Never. It was our—so to speak—partners in these negotiations who rejected it, who broke off contacts with Russia—the Europeans.”
This Sunday, the leader of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on social media that he will personally wait for President Putin in Istanbul on May 15 to resume direct peace negotiations, an initiative proposed by the Russian president.
Zelensky Threatens World Leaders Ahead of Victory Day Celebrations in Moscow
“We expect a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire starting tomorrow (May 12) that will provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killing,” Zelensky wrote.
For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄźan held a telephone conversation with President Putin on Sunday and said that he welcomed the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.
During the exchange, President ErdoÄźan informed the Russian leader that his statement about continuing peace talks in Istanbul was welcome and that Turkey was ready to host negotiations for a permanent solution.
(Ăšltimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/JB/SL
