Washington’s claim its military campaign is an anti-drug effort is as fake as “a Hollywood blockbuster plot,” Moscow’s UN envoy has said
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia has accused the US of plotting a coup in Venezuela under the guise of an anti-drug campaign.
Washington has deployed marines and warships off of Venezuela’s coast and has carried out airstrikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels. At least four boats have been sunk, killing more than 21 people. Caracas condemned the move as a violation of its sovereignty and requested an emergency UN Security Council session, warning the operation sought to topple President Nicolas Maduro and threatened regional peace.
At the session on Friday, Nebenzia said Russia “strongly condemned” the US campaign, calling it “a flagrant violation of international law and human rights.”
“We are witnessing a brazen campaign of political, military, and psychological pressure on the government of an independent state with the sole purpose of changing a regime unfavorable to the US,” he stated, noting that the coup plot is being carried out “using the classic tools of color revolutions and hybrid wars” by “artificially fueling an atmosphere of confrontation.”
Washington’s justification for its military action “sounds like a perfect plot for a Hollywood blockbuster” in which “Americans once again save the world,” but in reality it is pure fiction, according to Nebenzia. He noted that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime “doesn’t even consider Venezuela a drug trafficking hub,” as 87% of cocaine entering the US comes via the Pacific Ocean, to which Venezuela has no access.
“Washington must immediately stop escalating under false pretexts and avoid the irreparable mistake of military action against Venezuela,” he urged.
Other members of the Security Council also called for de-escalation, but US Political Counselor John Kelley insisted that Washington would use its “full might” to eliminate Venezuela’s “drug cartels.”
READ MORE: Trump breaks off diplomacy with Venezuela – NYT
The administration of US President Donald Trump has long accused Maduro of ties to drug cartels, labeling him a “narcoterrorist” and doubling the reward for his arrest to $50 million. Trump has refused to recognize Maduro’s reelection in 2024 and has openly backed his rival. On Friday, he congratulated opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, acknowledging prior support for her cause.
Maduro has repeatedly and vehemently denied US accusations of drug trafficking links.
