Russia condemns U.S. strike on alleged drug vessel near Venezuela

Audio By Carbonatix

Enlarge

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia on Sunday condemned a U.S. strike on a vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela and cautioned about the dangers of potential U.S. escalation in the entire Caribbean region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, spoke to his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gil, by telephone on Sunday, the Russian foreign ministry said.

“Sergei Lavrov said that Russia strongly condemns the new strike by the U.S. armed forces on October 3 on a ship in international waters near Venezuela,” the ministry said.

“The ministers expressed serious concern about Washington’s escalating actions in the Caribbean Sea that are fraught with far-reaching consequences for the region,” it said.

Four people were killed in the October 3 strike on the vessel which Washington accused of transporting “substantial amounts of narcotics – headed to America to poison our people.”

Moscow said that there was “no certainty that the United States will not in any way link its declared war against drug cartels with the situation in Haiti”.

Russia also cautioned against attempts to broadly interpret a recent UN Security Council resolution to more than double the size of an 15-month-old underfunded and understaffed international security mission combating armed gangs in Haiti.

Russia, China and Pakistan abstained from the vote on the measure put forward by the United States and Panama. The remaining 13 council members voted in favour.

“The Russian side has confirmed its full support and solidarity with the leadership and people of Venezuela in the current context,” the Russian ministry said.

(Reporting by Reuters, Editing by Louise Heavens/Guy Faulconbridge)