MINSK, January 8. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that there was collusion and betrayal in the situation with the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by the US.
"I want you to understand: everything was there. The agreement, the money that was paid, including to people in Venezuela, both military and civilians. There was collusion, and there was betrayal. Everything was there," BelTA news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying.
He called for caution amid the events in the Bolivarian Republic. "Therefore, we must be as cautious as possible," the president said. "We have been convinced once again that we must be strong," he noted.
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. US President Donald 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. They were brought to the US and placed in a detention center in New York. Trump asserted that the United States would assume temporary control of Venezuela. He also expressed confidence that Washington would obtain compensation from Caracas for American oil companies.