Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) meet at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, October 23, 2024. Photo: alexander Nemenov/AFP.
The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, stated that his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro is the rightful winner of the presidential elections held in July and is thus the legitimate president of Venezuela.
At a press conference on Thursday, October 24, Putin commented that Nicolás Maduro won the Venezuelan presidential elections fairly. “He has formed a government and we wish success to his government and the people of Venezuela. President Maduro won the elections, he won fairly,” President Putin stressed.
“Venezuela is fighting for its independence, for its sovereignty,” he added.
“I remember, once the opposition leader came to the square, looked up to the sky, and said that he considered himself president before God,” Putin recounted, referring to the former opposition deputy and fugitive, Juan Guaidó, who in 2019 proclaimed himself “interim president” of Venezuela in a public square in Caracas. “It is laughable. At that moment, we discussed this situation with the US leadership. They supported and continue to support the opposition … It is clearly ridiculous, right? Anyone can go out there, look up at the sky, and declare themselves whatever they want, but that is not how it works, that is not how it is supposed to work, there are certain electoral procedures.”
Putin’s message for Lula
When asked about the controversy surrounding Venezuela’s entry to the BRICS as an associate, the Russian president stated that this decision must be made by consensus, adding that Brazil vetoed Venezuela’s admission to the bloc. The veto was not unexpected after Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva’s government abstained from recognizing Nicolás Maduro as the winner of the July 28 elections.
“We have the rule that to accept any candidate into BRICS, the consent of all members is required. Without that, it is impossible to take that step,” President Putin responded.
He added that during a recent telephone conversation with his Brazilian counterpart, he conveyed a message for the Venezuelan president.
He added that he hopes Brazil and Venezuela “will fix their relationship” in a bilateral discussion. “I know that President Lula is an honest and a very decent man, and I am sure that he will approach this situation from an objective standpoint,” said Putin.
On Wednesday, October 23, Presidents Maduro and Putin held a bilateral meeting during the BRICS summit in Kazan, where the Venezuelan president was specially invited by his Russian counterpart.
“Venezuela is a long-time and reliable partner of Russian in Latin America and in the world in general,” commented President Putin, highlighting that “the strategic partnership between our countries continue to strengthen.”
(Últimas Noticias) by Randolf Borges
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
