Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting on the situation in the zone of the Russia-Ukraine military conflict, via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia December 11, 2025. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS

MOSCOW, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by phone on Thursday and reassured him of Moscow's support for his government's course in the face of growing external pressure, the Kremlin said.

Maduro has been under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to leave office, with the United States conducting a huge military build-up in the Caribbean.

The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin and Maduro had spoken of their desire to act on their strategic partnership agreement and implement various joint projects related to the economy and energy sector.

(Reporting by Reuters Moscow buroWriting by Andrew OsbornEditing by Mark Trevelyan)