In February 2024, Boris Johnson secretly flew to Venezuela for unofficial talks with its autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro, to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine, sources told The Sunday Times.
Venezuela is considered to be a close ally of Russia in Latin America. The country has been in international isolation for years. Russia issued a credit to Caracas worth over $17 billion in 2006. Venezuela spent a significant portion of this amount on purchasing Russian weapons. In return, Moscow received access to the country’s oil reserves, according to Suspilne.
Moscow has also used local media in the country as conduits for its propaganda, which is initially crafted in Russia and then tailored by local editors to resonate with the regional audience, aiming to weaken support for Ukraine by promoting anti-American and anti-NATO narratives.
As per the sources, the former UK prime minister took a private jet from the Dominican Republic, where he stayed with his family, to Caracas and spent less than 24 hours there. Johnson spoke to Maduro about the Russian military aggression against Ukraine amid concerns that Venezuela could supply weapons to Russia.
Earlier, the Venezuelan leader had condemned the economic sanctions imposed by Western countries against Russia, stating that the move could lead to a nuclear war.
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