Putin Doubles Down On Backing Maduro As US Prepares To Seize More Oil Tankers

The Kremlin confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday and reassured him of Moscow’s support, at a moment he’s facing likely regime change action at the hands of US military might.

Putin expressed support for Maduro’s rule “in the face of growing external pressure,” but they also discussed their advancing a strategic partnership and the areas of ongoing economic and energy projects. Moscow has long stood by Caracas’ side throughout years of growing isolation and sanctions.

The Kremlin statement added that “Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and reaffirmed his support for the Maduro government’s policy of safeguarding national interests and sovereignty amid mounting external pressure.”

Wednesday saw elite American special forces operators board and seize a Venezuelan oil tanker. They were filmed rappelling onto the ship’s deck from a helicopter, with rifles at the ready.

This has serious repercussions for Russia too, given Moscow has been a longtime trading partner with Caracas, and it raises the potential that Russian tankers in the Caribbean could be intercepted.

Perhaps even more notably, Reuters reports that Washington is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Further direct interventions by the U.S. are expected in the coming weeks targeting ships carrying Venezuelan oil that may also have transported oil from other countries targeted by U.S. sanctions, such as Iran, according to the sources familiar with the matter who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Last weekend Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that his country would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Venezuela in this time of crisis, but didn’t offer anything concrete.

“This is primarily due to the desire to assert the unquestioning dominance of the United States in the region, this is a trademark of the Trump administration,” Ryabkov explained.

According to some more of the latest developments via Newsweek:

• Initial reports on Wednesday cited U.S. officials saying the Coast Guard carried out the tanker seizure under international maritime law, targeting vessels tied to alleged illicit PDVSA-linked crude shipments.
• U.S President Donald Trump later confirmed the seizure, hinting that “other things are happening,” but offered no further details.
• A senior Trump administration official described the move as a “judicial enforcement action on a stateless vessel” last docked in Venezuela.
• Oil prices jumped on the news: Brent crude rose 0.8 percent to $62.35 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate climbed to $58.46.
• Analysts warn the seizure may further strain U.S.–Venezuela relations and deter shippers already wary of handling sanctioned Venezuelan crude.
• Maduro has long accused Washington of seeking to overthrow him and seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves; the nation’s production has fallen from over 2 million barrels a day to roughly 1 million.
• The seizure comes after Trump renewed threats of intervention by land, air, or sea, including a recent U.S. fighter jet flyover near Venezuelan airspace.
• Caracas condemned the action as “international piracy” and “brazen theft,” accusing the U.S. of trying to control its natural resources.
• Trump called the tanker the “largest ever” seized by the U.S.

Some hawks have long viewed Venezuela as a Latin American satellite state of Russian influence…

According to this column, “In Venezuela, the Department of War is indeed playing offense, as Trump promised, but the opponent isn’t really Maduro, it’s Putin” pic.twitter.com/1W0ros2WvM

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) December 7, 2025

While Russia has been a longtime ally of President Maduro, it is unlikely to come to his defense in any direct way, also given the delicate and sensitive efforts to improve bilateral ties with Washington amid talks to de-escalate the Ukraine war. This despite Caracas having formally pleaded for more help from Moscow of late, including arms deliveries.