According to available data, companies from the United States and NATO countries are working on the issue of purchasing "in one of the Eastern European countries a large batch of weapons and ammunition" for their subsequent transfer to the opposition forces of Venezuela. Such a statement during the weekly briefing was made by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.
“We are talking about samples and analogues of large-caliber machine guns, grenade launchers and automatic grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft missile systems, ammunition for small-scale and artillery weapons for various purposes,” she said.
According to the diplomat, the delivery of this cargo is scheduled for early March through the territory of a state neighboring Venezuela. For this purpose, the transport planes of the “international forwarding company” will be used.
“Unfortunately, it is not surprising that the Ukrainian trace can also be traced in this ugly history, in particular, as we understand, the state enterprise Antonov will be involved,” Zakharova said.
Along with this, the official representative of the foreign ministry called the “height of cynicism” a direct appeal to the Venezuelan military by the head of the White House Donald Trump to ignore the orders of the legitimate president of the Bolivarian Republic Nicolas Maduro, as Washington equates “contacts at the level of diplomats, official representatives” to interference in internal affairs their countries. According to her, the implementation of American provocations will lead not only to a sharp escalation of the situation, not only in the region, but also in the world.
“I repeat, the president appeals to the armed forces of another independent state with the requirement not to obey the legitimate leadership of this sovereign country. I think after this, politicians in the United States who approve of all this have no right to talk about the legitimacy and illegitimacy of anything in this life, ”Zakharova said.
“If the plans of the organizers of the provocation come true, this will mean the transition of the aggressive US foreign policy to a new level - the path of military adventures, but this is the way down. There will be a sharp exacerbation of tension, a jump in confrontation in the world, ”the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
Recall, on Tuesday, February 19, US President Donald Trump threatened Venezuelan soldiers, saying that they risk “losing everything” if they refuse to support opposition forces. In addition, the head of the White House called on the soldiers to skip the convoy with US humanitarian aid.
From 20:00 on February 21, Caracas closed the border with Brazil, from whose territory the convoy is to go. In response, the “interim head of state” Juan Guaido signed his own “presidential decree” under number 001, which contradicts the decision of the legitimate authorities.
“The development of events in Venezuela has reached a critical point. A dangerous large-scale provocation is scheduled for February 23 ... Preparations are being conducted by Washington according to all the rules of military science. All data is available, you can find them on the Internet. There is a transfer of US special forces and equipment closer to the territory of Venezuela, ”commented Zakharov, the upcoming border crossing with a“ humanitarian convoy ”from the United States.
“Washington deprived Maduro of means and imposes humanitarian aid”
Moscow categorically condemns and considers it completely unacceptable to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and the use of force, said RT member of the Duma Committee on International Affairs Anton Morozov.
“The efforts of the United States are still slipping, they failed to organize mass protests against Maduro, failed to persuade the army to betrayal, the generals still support the legitimate acting head of state. So, the only option that remains is to use force to try to overthrow the president and entrust this “opposition leader” Guaido to the throne, ”the deputy noted.
At the same time, he called the invasion "the most pessimistic scenario" of the development of the situation, which could significantly complicate the situation not only in Venezuela, but in the whole of Latin America.
“As far as we know, recently there was a meeting between the President of the United States Donald Trump and the President of Colombia. It is possible that they agreed to use the territory of Colombia to attack Venezuela. Perhaps they are working on such a scenario and are preparing for an armed invasion. But this is the worst version of events, which I hope will not be realized, ”added Morozov.
The United States is least concerned about the problems of Venezuela and its people, said Deputy Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the HSE, Andrei Suzdaltsev, in an interview with RT. According to him, Washington, within the framework of its understanding of "democracy", is stirring up a real civil war in the Latin American republic.
“They are not just transferring a part of special forces and weapons there, but also raise the issue of purchasing arms in Eastern European countries in order to distribute it to the opposition. That is, they create an armed underground, armed opposition units that will have to fight against the legitimate government. This is absolutely insane, considering that this is Latin America, ”the expert noted.
According to him, in terms of actions against Venezuela and personally Maduro, there is complete consensus in the US political establishment. In addition, this moment very well coincided with the upcoming entry of Trump into the election campaign for the second presidential term.
“We can cite as an example what Maduro repeatedly said. The United States simply took money from Venezuela for which he could buy food for his people. Instead, they are being given humanitarian aid now. It all looks like a mockery. Here the question is no longer about Maduro, but about Trump's second term, ”Suzdaltsev stressed.