GORKY, February 2. /TASS/. The way Venezuela is being treated like a US colony is surprising to Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, said in an interview with TASS, Reuters and the Wargonzo project.

"Such colonial attitudes towards a sovereign country, of course, are very, very surprising to us," the politician said, commenting on America’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"We definitely consider Venezuela to be a friendly state. We are developing relations with it," he said.

Medvedev said that he had visited Venezuela when Hugo Chavez was president. "Venezuela is going through a difficult time, it has many problems, but it’s rich," Medvedev added.

On January 3, the United States abducted Maduro and his wife. On January 5, the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York charged them with involvement in drug trafficking. Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty.

Delcy Rodriguez, who served as executive vice president under Maduro, took the reigns as the head of state in Venezuela. Trump said the United States will "run" Venezuela in the interim. He also threatened that Washington would seek compensation from Caracas for American oil companies. He promised that these firms will allocate funds for the restoration of Venezuela's oil infrastructure.