STORY: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday (December 11) said he held a long phone call in Russian with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who he said expressed unwavering support for Maduro's government and Venezuela's efforts to defend its sovereignty and regional peace, according to government television.

Maduro told supporters in a Caracas community that Putin had praised what he called the courage of the Venezuelan people and highlighted 19 new cooperation agreements signed on November 27 in areas including science, technology, health, agriculture, industry and energy.

He said the two leaders confirmed plans to hold the 20th session of the Russia-Venezuela high-level intergovernmental commission in Caracas in 2026 to mark 20 years of the mixed commission.

In the same event, Maduro urged people in the United States to "tie the hands" of what he described as extremist, supremacist and warmongering sectors that he said wanted to drag U.S. youth into a new endless war in South America, according to his speech.

The comments came as Washington ramped up pressure on Caracas with fresh sanctions on shipping companies, oil tankers and relatives of Maduro's wife over alleged links to Venezuela's sanctioned oil exports and corruption, part of a broader U.S. campaign to weaken Maduro's government.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO / MADURO SPEAKING WITH U.S. CITIZEN IN CROWD

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (DECEMBER 11, 2025) (VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT TV - Access all)

1. VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO AT AN EVENT IN A COMMUNITY IN CARACAS

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT, NICOLAS MADURO, SAYING:

[SOUNDBITE STARTS OVER VARIOUS SHOTS OF PUBLIC LISTENING, THEN OVER SPLIT SCREEN BETWEEN MADURO AND FOOTAGE OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN MEETING WITH MADURO, DATE AND LOCATION ARE UNKNOWN]

"Today I received a phone call in Russian. I had a long conversation with our elder brother, brave friend, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who asked me to pass on a message to the people of Venezuela. He told me this, Padrino, let us greet General-in-Chief Padrino, General Hernandez Larez, Major General Romero Bolivar, Major General Dilio Rodriguez, General Figuera Valdes, the Bolivarian National Armed Force, the liberating army of the 21st century. Among many things, we spoke at length, and he said, I want to express my admiration for the example of courage shown by the people of Venezuela in the circumstances they have had to face, and I want you to know that we give unwavering support to the Venezuelan process, to President Maduro, and to your efforts to defend your national sovereignty and the peace of the entire South American region. We were able to talk at length because on November 27, 19 documents were signed, 19 new cooperation projects in the fields of science, technology, health, agriculture, industry, energy and much more. We confirmed that in 2026, next year, we will hold the high-level intergovernmental commission, the 20th Russia-Venezuela mixed commission in Caracas, Venezuela, to celebrate 20 years of the mixed commission."

3. MADURO’S WIFE, CILIA FLORES AT THE EVENT

4. MADURO AT THE EVENT

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT, NICOLAS MADURO, SAYING:

[SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER VARIOUS SHOTS OF PUBLIC LISTENING]

"The people of the United States have to tie the hands of the extremist, supremacist and warmongering sectors that want to drag U.S. youth into a new endless war now in South America. That is why we are very clear about this. I said it yesterday and I repeat it today and every day: to the people of the United States, to the people of Venezuela and to the peoples of our America, we must unite to win peace, to tie the hands of the warmongers and to defeat plans for a crazy war, not a war for oil, not blood for oil."

6. MADURO AT THE EVENT

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. JOURNALIST, NO NAME GIVEN, SAYING:

“From Los Angeles and California, from the Imperialists.

MADURO ASKING: What’s your name?

U.S. JOURNALIST: John Parker, and we are gonna fight. The black folks there are gonna fight for you. We are gonna take down Trump, we don’t like them. We like you, we like socialism and we will stand with you.

MADURO CHANTING: Don’t worry, be happy."

8. MADURO GREETING NEIGHBOURS