MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. Top officials in Venezuela betrayed President Nicolas Maduro, a repeat of which the United States should not expect in Cuba, Russia’s Permanent Representative at the UN Vasily Nebenzya said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
"In Venezuela, a betrayal undoubtedly took place and they talk openly about that. Some higher-ups essentially betrayed the president," he pointed out. "In Cuba, things won’t play out that way," Nebenzya said.
In this regard, Nebenzya noted that recent US statements on Cuba largely remain "just rhetoric for now."
"Because doing in Cuba what they did in Venezuela would be no walk in the park," the Russian permanent representative to the UN said.
Cuba situation
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that "Cuba is in bad shape" because the country relied on Venezuela for oil and money, so no one knows what will happen to the island now.
In turn, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel noted that the republic has been at odds with the US for 66 years and is ready to defend its independence to the last blood drop. The Cuban leader also noted that Havana and Washington have next to no dialogue, even though Cuba is open to serious talks.
On January 11, Trump said Cuba would no longer get oil and money from Venezuela. He accused Havana of providing Caracas with "security services." The US president also said that after the military operation in Venezuela, Washington was in touch with Cuban authorities about a possible deal.
On January 3, the United States attacked civilian and military facilities in Caracas. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto condemned Washington’s actions as a military aggression. A state of emergency has been imposed in Venezuela. Trump confirmed the attack on Venezuela. He also said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and taken out of the country. On January 5, the couple appeared before the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York, where they face charges of alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Both have pleaded not guilty. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president on January 6. Meanwhile, Trump said that Washington would "run" Venezuela in the interim and promised to seek compensation from Caracas for American oil companies, while these firms would allocate funds to restore Venezuela’s oil infrastructure.