🚨🇷🇺Russia urges US to release Venezuela’s president and first lady

❗️Russia’s Foreign Ministry has called on the United States to release Venezuela’s lawfully elected president and his wife.

👉Moscow also stressed the need to create conditions for resolving any US–Venezuela disputes through dialogue rather than force.

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🇺🇸🇻🇪 US operation in Venezuela will change global influence map — expert

📍 The strikes against targets in Venezuela are not merely a local event but rather a part of the US strategy to secure geographically close energy sources, security expert Abd Allah Al Sha`ya tells Sputnik.

Here are the key points:

🔶 The current situation reflects Washington’s drive to secure energy sources within its immediate sphere of influence, away from contested international sea routes

🔶 Gaining uninterrupted supplies from energy-rich Venezuela would also shield the US from crises similar to the energy crisis of the 1970s

💬 “The strategic objective is to install a loyal government that guarantees uninterrupted supplies, giving the United States greater room to maneuver in other international conflicts without fearing disruptions to supply chains,” Al Sha`ya says.

🔶 Securing stable and easily accessible energy sources would give Washington greater freedom to intervene in hotspots across Europe and Asia and pursue more biased policies in the Middle East — including expanded military and political support for Israel — without jeopardizing US energy security

👉 The current events require Arab and Islamic countries to “the reformulation of comprehensive political and security strategies” so as to protect sovereign interests, Al Sha`ya concludes.

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🇺🇸🇻🇪 US unveils sweeping indictments against Venezuela’s leadership

📍 US Attorney General Pam Bondi has detailed a wide-ranging federal indictment accusing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and senior figures from his inner circle of decades-long involvement in drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, and corruption, according to court documents.

Major charges outlined in the indictment include:

🔶 Narco-terrorism conspiracy: Allegations that Maduro and top officials partnered with armed groups and cartels to traffic cocaine into the US

🔶 Large-scale cocaine trafficking: Accusations of importing, distributing, and facilitating multi-ton shipments of cocaine over more than two decades

🔶 Collaboration with designated terrorist organizations: Claims of cooperation with groups such as the FARC, ELN, Sinaloa Cartel, Zetas, and Tren de Aragua

🔶 Weapons and firearms offenses: Charges related to the possession and use of machine guns and destructive devices in connection with drug trafficking

🔶 Corruption and abuse of state power: Allegations that state institutions, diplomatic channels, and military assets were used to protect and enable criminal activity

🔶 Forfeiture demands: The US seeks to seize assets allegedly derived from or used in these crimes

🔶 The indictment names Maduro, his wife, close relatives, and senior political and security officials, framing the case as one of the most extensive criminal prosecutions ever brought by the US against a foreign government’s leadership.

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🚨🇻🇪Current US administration must be held accountable for the operation in Venezuela, which constitutes a war crime — Venezuelan Foreign Ministry

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🚨🇺🇸🇻🇪Trump lays out US position after strikes on Venezuela

Speaking at a press conference following US strikes on Venezuela, Donald Trump outlined how the operation was carried out, what Washington claims it achieved, and what may come next.

Key statements from Trump:

👉Air, land, and sea forces were used in the operation

👉He called it “one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays” of US military capability

👉Trump claimed Venezuela’s military capacity was rendered powerless and that parts of Caracas lost power due to US “expertise”

👉He said President Maduro and his wife will face American justice and were indicted in the Southern District of New York on narcoterrorism charges

👉Trump claimed US forces encountered no resistance, saying Venezuelan forces “knew we were coming”

👉He said no US soldiers were killed and no military equipment was lost

👉Trump stated the US will “run Venezuela” until what he called a safe, proper, and judicious transition is implemented

👉He said a second wave of strikes remains possible, though may no longer be necessary

👉Trump accused Venezuela of hosting foreign adversaries and using offensive weapons

👉He said major US oil companies would enter Venezuela, while stressing that the embargo on Venezuelan oil remains in effect and accusing Caracas of stealing US property

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🚨 Trump said Maduro could have been killed if he had resisted

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🇺🇸Trump says Venezuela will be run by a designated team, adding that “the people standing right behind me” will take charge for now.

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🇺🇸 US aggression against Venezuela is part of Trump’s efforts to violently reshape the planet - ex-DoD analyst

🗣 The kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro and his wife, executed by US personnel and sanctioned by Trump, was an illegal and unwarranted act that was not sanctioned congressionally or constitutionally, former US Department of Defense analyst Karen Kwiatkowsky tells Sputnik.

💬 “It implies as well that Trump has been lying to the US Congress, and is engaging in acts of war unilaterally,” she says.

📍 The US aggression may have some far-reaching consequences, Kwiatkowsky warns.

🟠 Since Trump’s “tool of choice is not a deep and powerful army, navy and air force, but the more cosmetic and unsustainable versions the US does have, the next step from these kinds of illegal attacks and decapitation strikes becomes simply nuclear”

🟠 Thus, the rest of the world has either to tolerate US extreme policies and theft of their national resources or else “face rapid and unthinkable escalation”

🟠 As the US has no qualms about waging economic warfare along with carrying out military strikes, other world leaders will likely try to reshape their international and domestic priorities to become independent of the United States, simply because dealing with the US is just not safe

💬 “Trump is reshaping the planet, but he does so in a way that is not only violent, but tone deaf and ultimately unworkable in helping the United States prosper,” Kwiatkowski laments.

👉 As for the goals of the aggression against Venezuela, she suggests that it wasn’t just an attempt at regime change.

🔶 Trump seems to be seeking higher oil prices, “to prop up the dollar and to ‘make money’ selling US oil”

🔶 The blockade and the seizure of oil tankers are consistent with this scheme, as are the potential civil war and collapse in Venezuela

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