ByREUTERS
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it hoped that US President Donald Trump’s administration would not make a fatal mistake over Venezuela and said Moscow was concerned about US decisions that threatened international shipping.

Trump on Tuesday ordered a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela as Washington tries to increase pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

There has been an effective embargo in place after the US seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week, with loaded vessels carrying millions of barrels of oil idling in Venezuelan waters rather than risk seizure.

“We hope that the D. Trump administration, which is characterized by a rational and pragmatic approach, will not make a fatal mistake.”

US President Donald Trump speaks with the media on the day of the signing of an executive order to rename the Department of Defense the ''Department of War'', in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 5, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER)
US President Donald Trump speaks with the media on the day of the signing of an executive order to rename the Department of Defense the ”Department of War”, in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 5, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER)

‘Unpredictable consequences for the entire Western Hemisphere’

Moscow favored a normalization of dialogue between Washington and Caracas and hoped the US would not wade into a situation that would have “unpredictable consequences for the entire Western Hemisphere,” it added, saying Russia supported “the Maduro government’s course.”

Separately, the Kremlin called for countries in the region to show restraint.

“We see tensions rising in the region and consider this to be potentially very dangerous,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“President Putin recently had a telephone conversation with President Maduro. And, of course, we call on all countries in the region to exercise restraint in order to avoid any unpredictable developments.”