‘Threat to regional security’: Russia backs Venezuela, slams Trump’s military strike

Russia has strongly condemned the United States’ recent military action near Venezuela, accusing Washington of endangering regional stability after President Donald Trump ordered a naval build-up and a targeted strike against a boat allegedly linked to a Venezuelan drug cartel.

According to a Newsweek report, the Russian Foreign Ministry criticised the move, warning that such actions could escalate tensions in Latin America and undermine regional security.

The response came just days after Trump announced that US forces had killed 11 members of the Tren de Aragua gang — designated a terrorist organisation by Washington — in a strike carried out in international waters.

Moscow’s rebuke comes at a sensitive time, as Trump seeks closer cooperation with President Vladimir Putin to broker an end to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

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However, Russia’s backing of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and its opposition to US military operations in the region signal continued friction between the two powers on foreign policy.

Trump defended the strike, stating that the targeted boat was trafficking illegal narcotics into the US under the protection of the Venezuelan government.

“This is part of our broader war on the drug trade that’s poisoning American communities,” Trump said in a statement, vowing continued pressure on what he called “narco-terrorist networks.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the President’s stance, saying the US is mobilising “incredible assets” to expand offensive operations against Venezuelan cartels and their maritime trafficking routes.

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Relations between Washington and Caracas have been deeply strained for years, with the US severing diplomatic ties, imposing sweeping sanctions, and accusing Maduro’s government of facilitating organised crime and narcotics trafficking.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, accused the United States of exerting “blatant pressure” on Venezuela when asked about the growing tensions between Washington and Caracas.

“This is a special page in world history,” Newsweek quoted Zakharova as saying during a press briefing at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, on Thursday. “What the West has been doing toward states that want to pursue their own independent policies is absolutely inadmissible.”

“Look at the sanctions pressure. Look at the endless manipulations regarding human rights,” she continued. “The situation is being exaggerated and a threat to regional security is being created.”

The remarks come as the US continues to refuse recognition of Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, instead backing opposition figure Edmundo González, who is supported by other democratic nations following last year’s contested elections. The White House has labeled Maduro the head of a “narco‑terror cartel,” rather than a legitimate president.

On September 2, Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida reiterated calls for Congress to pass his Stop Maduro Act, introduced in 2024. The legislation would raise the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction from $15 million to $100 million.

Meanwhile, Hegseth told Fox & Friends on Wednesday: “President Trump is willing to go on offense in ways that others have not been… We’ve got incredible assets and they are gathering in the region.”

While a full-scale US invasion of Venezuela is considered unlikely, experts told Newsweek that the Trump administration’s actions appear aimed at projecting strength and pressuring Maduro to act more aggressively against cartel activity.

With inputs from agencies