Dmitry Medvedev has warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could face the same fate as Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, following what he described as a U.S. ‘abduction’ of the Venezuelan president.
In a wide-ranging statement released on Sunday, the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council accused Washington of orchestrating Maduro’s detention and suggested European governments had responded with ‘cowardice’.
The former Russian president said Zelenskyy could become the next target of a U.S.-backed removal if he failed to comply with Washington’s demands.
Medvedev made the remarks to Russia’s state news agency TASS, presenting Maduro’s detention not as a democratic process but as a ‘kidnapping’ driven by U.S. interests in natural resources.
Medvedev strongly criticised European reactions to events in Caracas, describing them as a ‘classic case of double standards’ and accusing EU leaders of subservience to the United States.
Using inflammatory language, he dismissed European arguments about the legitimacy of Venezuela’s leadership and claimed Brussels was seeking to justify what he described as a "flagrant violation of international law."
He singled out European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, likening her to a cartoon villain from Soviet-era animation for portraying the U.S. operation as a democratic transition.
Medvedev drew a direct comparison between Maduro and Zelenskyy, repeating the Kremlin’s claim that the Ukrainian president’s term had expired.
He warned that if the U.S. was prepared to detain a Latin American leader on drug trafficking charges, it could apply similar logic to Ukraine should its leadership refuse a potential agreement with Donald Trump.
Medvedev suggested Zelenskyy’s removal could happen in the near future, using derogatory language to describe the Ukrainian leadership and nationalists.
Resources and power politics
While condemning the legality of the U.S. operation in Venezuela, Medvedev said it reflected a consistent approach by Trump, which he characterised as the forceful pursuit of U.S. national interests.
He claimed Washington’s primary motivation was access to oil in Latin America and rare earth minerals in Ukraine, describing U.S. foreign policy as operating on the principle of "the right of the strongest".
Medvedev also speculated that other countries could be at risk, making sarcastic references to Greenland and German politics.
Concluding his remarks, Medvedev dismissed the United Nations as ineffective, arguing it had failed to prevent wars or genocides.
He said nuclear weapons remained the strongest guarantee of national security, claiming Russia’s arsenal was the main factor restraining Western powers.
Medvedev warned that the U.S. operation in Venezuela could prompt non-nuclear states to reconsider their security strategies.
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The European Union's decision to simultaneously advance accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania marks its most ambitious enlargement effort in more than two decades.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 30 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in Europe.
Passengers restrained a flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot and tried to crash a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
Passengers restrained a flydubai co-pilot who allegedly stabbed the pilot and tried to crash a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
Three Pakistani sailors are among five crew members killed after a tanker hijacked by pirates off Somalia was recovered by Puntland security forces following more than five months in captivity.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev discussed closer bilateral ties and the implementation of existing agreements during a meeting in Tehran.
The war between Iran and the U.S. is creating a widening security challenge for Saudi Arabia, stretching from Yemen’s Red Sea coast to Iraq as the Houthis emerge as a growing source of pressure on the kingdom.
North Korea has dismissed as a “farce” Seoul’s claim that Pyongyang was responsible for a landmine explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line that injured three South Korean soldiers.
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