Russia and its close ally Belarus have renewed high-level contact with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies, sparking speculation that Maduro could soon seek asylum overseas.
A source told Reuters that Maduro phoned President Trump on November 21, saying he was prepared to leave Venezuela—but only if full legal immunity for him and his family was guaranteed.
According to Belarusian state news agency BelTA, President Alexander Lukashenko has held two meetings within 17 days with Venezuela’s ambassador to Moscow, Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez. During a meeting on November 25, Lukashenko assured the envoy that Maduro would always be welcome in Belarus, noting that “now is an appropriate time” for such a visit.
BelTA also reported that Lukashenko and the ambassador had agreed earlier to coordinate certain issues with Maduro directly. “Come back after settling a few matters,” Lukashenko reportedly said, suggesting that further decisions would be taken within Belarus’s authority — potentially involving the Venezuelan leader himself.
Lukashenko’s office did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on whether Belarus is considering offering Maduro asylum.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated that President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his support for Maduro during a phone call on Thursday. Putin praised Maduro’s efforts to protect Venezuela’s sovereignty amid “external pressure.”
The Trump administration maintains that Maduro, in power since 2013, is not the legitimate president of Venezuela. The United States and several Western nations labeled last year’s election as fraudulent, while independent observers claim the opposition had actually won by a large margin.
In recent months, Trump has sharply escalated pressure on Caracas, including deploying significant U.S. military assets in the Caribbean. In an interview with Politico, Trump warned that “Maduro’s time is running out,” though he declined to say whether he would authorize military intervention.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova urged Washington to avoid escalating the situation into a full-scale conflict, warning that it could have “unpredictable consequences” for the entire Western Hemisphere.
Lukashenko—under Western sanctions for years over human rights abuses and his alignment with Russia’s war in Ukraine—has recently reopened dialogue with the Trump administration. The U.S. has eased some restrictions and appointed special envoy John Koehl to negotiate the release of political prisoners.
