Reviewing The Russian UN Representative’s Response To The US’ Capture Of Maduro

His rhetoric aims to retain Russia’s regional influence and complicate the US’ plans there.

Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia shared his country’s official response to the US’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He condemned it as “a harbinger of a return to an era of lawlessness and US domination by force, chaos and injustice, which continues to inflict suffering on dozens of countries in various regions of the world” before calling for his and his wife’s release. He then pointed out the US’ long-running hypocrisy in selectively invoking the UN Charter.

Russia “fully support[s] the policy of the Bolivarian Government’s geared towards protecting the national interests and sovereignty of the country” since it’s one of its top strategic partners in the Global South. It also hopes that others will “abandon [their] double standards without trying to justify such an egregious act of aggression for fear of infuriating the US ‘global gendarme’ who is seeking to rear its head again.” This suggests that the US’ capture of Maduro might have already intimidated scores of foreign leaders.

He also said that the US “does not even attempt to conceal the true objectives of its criminal operation, namely the establishment of unlimited control over Venezuela’s natural resources and assertion of its hegemonic ambitions in Latin America. In this way, Washington is generating fresh momentum for neocolonialism and imperialism, which have been repeatedly and decisively repudiated by the peoples of this region and the Global South as a whole.” Nebenzia then called for global condemnation of this.

He ominously concluded that “the bell now tolls across the region, ringing for every country of the Western Hemisphere. The bell is also ringing for all UN member States and for the future of the Organization itself.” Reviewing everything, Russia reaffirmed its role as a champion of international law and the voice of the Global South at the UNSC, particularly Latin America. This appeals to its traditional anti-imperialist and leftist allies in the region, who have a history of organizing large-scale rallies.

Drawing attention to the US’ explicit goal of restoring its ‘sphere of influence’ over the Western Hemisphere, which openly entails limiting its countries’ sovereignty by punishing them for their ties with US rivals like China and Iran, might earn it support from some nationalists too. The purpose appears to be strengthening Russian soft power through rhetorical means with a view towards inspiring its Latin American partners to resist potentially forthcoming US pressure upon them to curtail their ties.

Although trade with the region remains far below its potential and mostly concerns Russian exports of wheat, fertilizer, energy, and arms, it still functions as a valve of sorts from Western sanctions pressure. Russia’s military-strategic ties with Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela also represent a symbolic response to the US’ military-strategic ties with Ukraine and other countries in what Russia considers to be its “Near Abroad” so officials take pride in them. Their loss would therefore represent a symbolic setback.

All in all, Russia’s response to the US’ capture of Maduro was predictable, but that doesn’t mean that it’s insignificant. It can’t secure his and his wife’s release, but it might inspire some states to resist potentially forthcoming US pressure upon them to curtail their ties. Russia might also inspire its traditional anti-imperialist and leftist allies to organize large-scale rallies across the region too. The purpose is to retain Russia’s regional influence and complicate the US’ plans there, but it’s unclear whether it’ll succeed.