Russian President Vladimir Putin has affirmed Moscow’s solidarity with Venezuela, a day after the United States seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the Latin American country’s coast.

Putin’s exchange with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro came during a call on Thursday, according to the Kremlin.

“Vladimir Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people”, the Kremlin said in a readout.

The Russian leader “confirmed his support for the Maduro government’s policy aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure”, it added.

Venezuela’s government said the pair “reaffirmed the strategic, solid, and growing nature of their bilateral relations”.

It added that Putin “reiterated that the channels of direct communication between the two n

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