Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro warned that his country must “stand like warriors … ready to smash the teeth of the North American empire” Wednesday, a moment that coincided with the US seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast.

Vladimir Putin calls Nicolás Maduro to pledge Russian support as U.S. pressure on Venezuela intensifies following massive oil tanker seizure and Caribbean military buildup.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed “solidarity with the Venezuelan people” amid growing tensions between Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, and the Trump administration

Estados Unidos impuso el jueves sanciones a tres sobrinos del presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro, entre otros, mientras el presidente Donald Trump

The Trump administration is seeking the legal authority to seize the oil from the tanker that US forces boarded

Maduro has survived predictions and ridicule, but along the way, Venezuela lost millions of inhabitants, 72% of its economy, democratic legitimacy in the eyes of much of the world, and many of its most important international allies.

The Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on Venezuela, targeting three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington steps up pressure on Caracas.

Now, President Donald Trump wants Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power. Maduro’s “days are numbered,” Trump told Politico in an interview released on Dec. 9. His Administration considers Maduro the head of a government-sponsored cocaine smuggling syndicate.

When asked if he could rule out a ground invasion of Venezuela, Trump answered: “I don’t want to rule in or out.”

By Mark Trevelyan Dec 11 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday held a second meeting in 17 days with the Venezuelan ambassador to Russia, at a time of mounting pressure by U.