Photo by Gary Raynaldo /  Dmitry Polyanskiy,  First Deputy Permanent Representative of Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations at press conference at UN world headquarters New York Apr. 11,  2019.

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC TIMES

UNITED NATIONS   NEW YORK  –  Another top Trump administration official was dispatched to the United Nations this week to turn up  the heat on the international body to recognize Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader. U.S. Vice President Michael Pence urged the UN Wednesday to revoke the diplomatic credentials of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government. The U.S. called the emergency meeting of the U.N.’s most powerful body,  the Security Council,  to focus on the worsening humanitarian situation in the South American country.  It was the third meeting called before the world body by the U.S.  since Guaido proclaimed himself Venezuela’s president in a bid to force out Maduro in January.  The Trump administration immediately recognized Guaido as Venezuela president and called for Maduro  to step down.  Maduro has resisted and labeled Guaido’s actions as a coup d’etat backed by the U.S.  President Trump’s special envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams and Secretary of  State Mike Pompeo both appeared before the United Nations using soft diplomatic power to pressure the world body to throw its support behind Guaido. It was VP Pence’s turn this week. Pence wasted no time tearing into Maduro:

“Nicolas Maduro is a dictator with no legitimate claim to power, and Nicolas Maduro must go,”   

-VP Pence said, referring to Venezuela’s president during Security Council meeting.

“With all due respect, Mr. Ambassador, you shouldn’t be here. You should return to Venezuela and tell Nicolas Maduro that his time is up. It’s time for him to go.”

Pence  scolded  Maduro’s  UN  Envoy Samuel Moncada Acosta. 

Credit:  UN Photo/Manuel Elias  /  U.S. VP Mike Pence addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Apr. 10, 2019

At a UN press conference a day after VP Pence urged the world body to pull Maduro’s Ambassador’s diplomatic credentials, Dmitry Polyanskiy,  First Deputy Permanent Representative of Mission of the Russian Federation, made ig clear Russia continues to back the  Maduro  regime.  Pence added that the had drafted a UN Resolution to revoke its diplomatic credentials.  However, it is unlikely the Trump administration will garner  votes needed to adopt such a measure in the 193-member UN  General Assembly. The United States and Russia both failed in rival bids to get the 15-member Security Council to adopt resolutions on Venezuela in February. 

Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe /  Samuel Moncada, Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in his country Apr. 10, 2019,

“I assume, that Mr. Pence doesn’t have a lot of diplomatic experience. Maybe here in the UN he wanted to make his view clear. This is not a revelation for us. We know that this administration as a host country is trying to do everything to convince the world that the current authorities of Venezuela are not legal; and that another guy who proclaimed himself president and was acknowledged by Mr. Pence in 3 minutes is the illegal one.”

–Dmitry Polyanskiy,  First Deputy Permanent Representative of Mission of the Russian Federation.

“We said yesterday, that Mr. Monkada is a legal representative of Venezuela, he has all the credentials, he was appointed according to the practice that is common to the United Nations,”  the Russian envoy added.

Photo by Gary Raynaldo  /  Dmitry Polyanskiy,  First Deputy Permanent Representative of Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations.

The Russian diplomat also addressed several other issues concerning the situation in Venezuela.

On  The Presence of Russian Military in Venezuela:

 “It is not about military, as it was presented. I saw the first reports like “Russia is sending troops to Venezuela”. Of course this is a very sexy picture for the news, I understand. But it is very far from reality. We have bilateral arrangements, we honor these bilateral arrangements and we will do it upon request and in total cooperation with the legal authorities of Venezuela. I don’t see any reason to present this as some extraordinary situation. This is normal, this was done before, this will be done.”

Dmitry Polyanskiy,  First Deputy Permanent Representative of Mission of the Russian Federation.

On U.S. Referring to Venezuela As A Failed State Under Maduro: 

“As my Ambassador yesterday formulated in the Security Council “America with one hand is holding Venezuela by the throat, strangling it, with the other hand it is pickpocketing Venezuela, and at the same time its crying that Venezuela can’t take care of its citizens”.   It’s a very difficult situation for any country.”

Polyanskiy added: “Can you imagine a country that would easily cope with a financial loss of such a big sum of money that Venezuela has lost only recently? We know about, if I am not mistaken, $31.2 bn that were directly stolen by Americans and by British regardless of what my British colleague tried to present yesterday in the Security Council. The Bank of England played a very important role in this regard. They stole this money and the total losses amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. I could imagine that if the US had been deprived of this sum of money would have sensed the consequences for its economy and for its people. Of course Venezuela is not an exception. That’s why we need to help this country. First of all, we need to mobilize our support. I mean those who are respectful of international law. I don’t know such a criterion as a failed State. I believe you cannot label it from your position, from your perspective.”