WASHINGTON – Colombian President Iván Duque criticized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and compared him to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“Nicolás Maduro has done to his people what Putin has done to Ukraine,” said Duque in an interview with the voice of america. The Colombian president said that in the same way that the war in Ukraine has generated a wave of migration in Europe, Maduro has “triggered the largest migration crisis (…) in this hemisphere in years.”
Duque met on Thursday with the president of the United States, Joe Biden, in the first meeting between the two leaders since the Democrat took office last year.
The president of Colombia pointed to Maduro for giving his support to Russia and said that the meeting that the Venezuelan vice president had with the Russian foreign minister also on Thursday “is the reaffirmation of those who are on the wrong side of history.”
Days before Duque’s arrival in Washington, the White House confirmed that an American delegation traveled to Venezuelain the first visit by US officials to Caracas in years.
When asked if this “diplomatic rapprochement”, as a Biden administration official called it, represents a change in the strategy of both countries towards Venezuela, Duque said that the two governments work “in unison.”
“There is no change to not calling things by their name; both Colombia and the US have called Maduro a dictator,” said Duque.
The Colombian leader, who is in the final months of his term, has been one of the most vocal critics of President Nicolás Maduro. Together with the government of then President Donald Trump, he promoted the creation of the Lima Group (made up of a dozen Latin American countries) that seeks diplomatically isolate Maduro.
The Biden government has defended the decision to travel to Venezuela —in the face of criticism from the opposition and his own party— and has indicated that the objectives of the meeting with Chavista officials were to discuss aspects of “energy security”, achieve the release of US prisoners and press for a return to dialogue with the opposition.
Media reports have reported that the US raised with Venezuela the possibility of lifting oil sanctions to bring crude oil from the South American country to US refineries, as a result of the increase in oil prices due to the war in Ukraine.
A Biden administration official said Wednesday that the US has not “compromised or bartered” on the oil issue and that it is something that is being discussed “at a broader level.”
Duke pointed to the VOA that Colombia “is a country that has more certainty, with more security, the capacity to offer energy solutions” for the US than Venezuela.
“Venezuela is not capable of generating more than 700,000 barrels of oil and Colombia (…) is once again close to reaching one million,” he said.
Maduro assured on Wednesday that Venezuela will increase its production this year to two million barrels per day, compared to the 755,000 barrels per day it produced in January, according to the country’s report to OPEC.
With the collaboration of the VOA journalist, Alejandra Arredondo.
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