Speaking at a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter in Switzerland on 23/2, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky stated that the US military operation against Venezuela on 3/1 was a "blatant violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter".

"We unequivocally call on Washington to immediately release President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. We firmly respect Venezuela's sovereignty and advocate for resolving all disagreements through peaceful means", Lyubinsky said.

President Maduro and his wife are escorted from a helicopter to a New York court on 5/1. *Reuters*

The Russian diplomat criticized "unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela" that have been applied for decades and have become increasingly sophisticated. "Venezuela's oil export routes are being redirected towards the US, significantly impacting the welfare of its people and exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the country", he added.

Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on the same day, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto also demanded the immediate release of President Maduro and his wife. "3/1 marked an extremely serious turning point. The illegal military action against our country resulted in the deaths of over 100 people and arbitrary arrests", he stated.

Foreign Minister Pinto noted that the operation to arrest President Maduro and his wife occurred amidst a "deep technological and military asymmetry" between Venezuela and the nuclear power, the US.

"However, we chose to open diplomatic channels to resolve differences. Not through subjugation, but on the basis of sovereign equality among nations. Not through fear, but with the conviction that dialogue is the only civilized path between countries", the Venezuelan Foreign Minister added.

In the early hours of 3/1, US forces launched "Operation Absolute Determination", deploying a series of airstrikes against multiple targets in Venezuela, facilitating special forces' helicopter movement into the capital Caracas to apprehend President Maduro and his wife.

Maduro and his wife appeared for a hearing in a New York court on 5/1, where they face drug-related charges. Both pleaded not guilty. The next hearing is scheduled for 17/3.

Huyen Le (According to AFP, TASS)