Putin, Erdogan extend support to ‘socialist’ Maduro

Russia considers moves to remove Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro from power to be illegal while Turkey offers its support for the socialist Venezuelan president following an uprise by the country’s opposition, reports Reuters.

Russia and Turkey renewed their support on Thursday after a Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president following backing from US president Donald Trump and some regional powers.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying about Russian president Vladimir Putin’s posture in favour of Maduro.

On the other hand, Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for the Turkish president, tweeted, "Our president called and extended Turkey's support to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and said 'My brother Maduro! Stand tall, we stand by you!'"

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president on Wednesday, winning the backing of Washington and many Latin American nations and prompting socialist Maduro, who has led the oil-rich nation since 2013, to break relations with the United States.