Lavrov says US hid oil motive behind Maduro kidnapping

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the newspaper Izvestia that the United States did not conceal its purpose in the January 3 arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, saying the operation was intended to seize control of Venezuela’s oil assets. Lavrov added that the U.S. had declared Iran a terrorist sponsor while openly pursuing a strategy to dominate the Venezuelan oil sector.

He referenced the U.S. special‑forces raid in Caracas that transferred Maduro and First Lady Cilia Floris to New York for drug‑trafficking charges, the subsequent swearing‑in of interim president Delcy Rodríguez, and the U.S. military’s refusal to comment on reported explosions in the capital. Lavrov also cited President Donald Trump’s claim that U.S. forces had conducted successful strikes against Venezuela and Maduro in cooperation with American security agencies, with further details to follow.