Venezuela considers NATO responsible for the unstable political situation in Eastern Europe. This was announced on Tuesday, March 1, by the head of the republic, Nicolas Maduro.
“I had a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, I confirmed that Venezuela condemns the destabilizing actions by NATO. I firmly believe that mutual understanding and dialogue are the best ways to preserve peace,” the President wrote in his Twitter.
Earlier in the day, the Kremlin reported on telephone conversations between Maduro and Putin, during which the Venezuelan leader supported the Russian operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass.
A day earlier, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place in the Gomel region of Belarus. On the same day, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said that the Russian and Ukrainian sides had found some points by which common positions could be predicted.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about the lack of the desired result after negotiations with the Russian side. Zelensky noted that at the talks, Russia voiced its positions, and Ukraine put forward counter points to end the war.
The situation in Donbass escalated on February 17, 2022. In the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces was reported, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.
On February 21, Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DNR and LNR), as well as treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with the republics, which were ratified the next day. And on February 24, he announced the start of an operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass. After that, Kyiv accused Russia of hitting the country’s military infrastructure and severed diplomatic relations with Moscow.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.