MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/. Moscow would carefully consider a request to grant asylum to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, should one be received, Russian Ambassador to Caracas Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov told TASS in an interview.
"No requests to grant asylum to Maduro have been received, at least not through us. If such a request were to be received, I think it would be carefully considered by the Russian side," the diplomat said, responding to a question about whether Russia would be prepared to grant Maduro asylum if the US were to release him from detention.
He emphasized the firmness of Russia’s position: "President Maduro and his wife, who were seized by Washington as a result of armed aggression in violation of international law and common sense, must be released."
On January 3, the US launched strikes on civilian and military targets in Venezuela, captured the country’s president and his wife, and transported them out of the country. US forces have since faced legal action in American courts, where Maduro and his wife have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who served as executive vice president under Maduro, is currently acting as head of state in Venezuela.