Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—In a recent exclusive interview with the Russian news agency TASS, the Russian ambassador to Venezuela, Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov, addressed the current global geopolitical landscape and his country’s willingness to consider potential scenarios for diplomatic safe passage for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“President Maduro and his wife, kidnapped by Washington as a result of armed aggression, in violation of international law and common sense, must be released,” he said in reference to the kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife, Deputy Cilia Flores, on January 3, when the US bombed Venezuela to abduct him, killing over 100 people in the process.
The Russian diplomat clarified that, to date, the Kremlin has not received any official asylum request from the Venezuelan government, at least via his diplomatic post. However, he emphasized that, should such a request be submitted, President Vladimir Putin’s government would examine it “carefully” following international protocols and the existing cooperative ties between the two nations.
During the interview, the ambassador reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to Venezuelan sovereignty. His statements on asylum introduce a relevant nuance to the debate on possible solutions to the political path Venezuela has been pursuing in recent months.
Analysts consulted on the proposal stated that the offer is a new option that should not be discarded. However, they warned that Venezuela’s defense strategy for President Maduro, and even the constitutional succession, could be jeopardized if that path is pursued.
Before January’s US invasion of Venezuela, Russia had been a key pillar of international support for President Maduro’s government, offering declarative backing in forums such as the UN Security Council and maintaining active cooperation in energy and defense.
Russia in Venezuela after January 3
According to analysts, Russia’s positive image in Venezuela has been damaged following the US attack. Despite multiple statements, their lack of decisive support in halting the US aggression showed that their strategy was largely ineffective or insufficient.
During a January 26 interview with the Russia24 channel, Ambassador Melik-Bagdasarov made controversial statements regarding “betrayals” within the Venezuelan military—a move some analysts considered an effort to deflect responsibility for deficiencies in Russian-made Venezuelan air defenses during the US bombing.
“First of all, what do we understand by treason, and when did the treason occur? If by treason we mean criminal negligence, then yes,” the ambassador explained in the interview. “Many of the local security forces did not do what they could have done. If we consider everything that happened long before these events to be treason, then of course, there was treason. We know all their names, people who fled Venezuela,” he added, which analysts consider a reference to far-right politicians and former high-level Venezuelan officials who had betrayed Chavismo in recent years.
While there are valid questions regarding internal betrayals associated with the US bombing, many analysts agree that such statements from a foreign diplomat felt unpleasant to many Venezuelans, as they appeared as attempts to absolve Moscow of its own responsibilities. This narrative was reinforced on January 30 by the permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, who told Prensa Latina that “some high-ranking officials have, in fact, betrayed President Nicolás Maduro.”
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These circumstances have, to a certain degree, eroded the longstanding positive image that Russia enjoyed among the Chavista majority. While analysts do not believe Venezuela would renege on its commitments to Russia, they indicate a growing desire among Venezuelans for these powers to assume—beyond statements—their responsibility as world leaders to halt the disastrous course that the US is pursuing, which is pushing the world towards collapse.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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