The United Nations rejected two rival resolutions on Venezuela, one backed by the U.S. and the other by Russia, in what is shaking out to be another sphere of influence battle between the two nations.
The first U.N. resolution proposed by the U.S. and its assembly allies was vetoed in the Security Council by both Russia and China. The resolution, which made it onto a final Security Council after receiving nine endorsements from member states, called for the peaceful transition to democracy and moved to authorize the free flow of humanitarian assistance.
The move would essentially be a rebuke of the Maduro regime, as the U.S. and its allies in the region have maintained that a transition to democracy cannot happen with Nicolas Maduro in power. The Venezuela strongman has also used the blockade of humanitarian assistance from the U.S. and Colombia as a tool of curbing what the regime calls “an intervention from foreign governments” against its government.
The U.S., along with many South American and some key European nations, supports National Assembly President Juan Guaido, who declared himself Venezuela’s legitimate ruler in January.
Russia, which backs the Maduro regime, then introduced its own resolution to the Security Council, which failed to garner enough endorsements to move forward to a final Security Council vote. The U.S. mission at the U.N. had signaled that it would veto the resolution had it cleared the threshold.
The resolution condemned any foreign interference in the domestic affairs of Venezuela and called the Maduro government the sole arbitrator of the entry of humanitarian assistance in Venezuela, essentially legitimizing Maduro’s continued claim to power. Of the 15-member Security Council members, only four supported, with seven opposing and another four abstaining, making the resolution dead on arrival.
Russia has maintained an increasing presence in Venezuelan affairs, with Venezuela’s oil industry a key component of Russia’s role in the global economy. The U.S., in turn, has long viewed the Maduro regime as a security threat to its most important allies, including Colombia, and as a lifeline to the Castro regime in Cuba.
