MOSCOW, January 4. /TASS/. Russian and Belarusian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Maxim Ryzhenkov have emphasized the need to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and reinstate him as head of state, the Russian ministry reported following a telephone conversation between the two ministers.
"The absolute need to immediately release the legitimate President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, return them to the country's capital, and reinstate Nicolas Maduro as head of state was emphasized," the report said.
The foreign ministers shared views on the situation surrounding Venezuela. "It was stressed that Moscow and Minsk are united in their resolute condemnation of the aggression committed by the United States against a sovereign state in violation of international law," the ministry said.
The parties also noted "the importance of quickly creating conditions for resolving the situation around Venezuela through dialogue in accordance with international law."
On January 3, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto announced that the United States had attacked civilian and military targets in Caracas. He called Washington's actions military aggression. A state of emergency was declared in Venezuela. Trump confirmed that the United States had launched major airstrikes against Venezuela, adding that Maduro and his wife had been captured and taken out of the country.