Russia President Vladimir Putin Says He’s now Certain How to Treat Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy After Pointing to How the United States and Donald Trump Handled Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro

Russia Says U.S. Treatment of Venezuela’s Maduro Has Complicated How It Views Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy

Russia has announced that it is uncertain how to approach and engage with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pointing to how the United States—particularly under former President Donald Trump—treated Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro as a troubling international precedent.

In remarks attributed to senior Kremlin officials, Moscow suggested that Washington’s handling of the Venezuela crisis has reshaped global diplomatic norms and blurred long-standing rules about how world leaders are recognized and treated. According to Russia, those actions have now created confusion over how leaders like Zelenskyy should be dealt with on the international stage.

The Kremlin drew direct parallels between U.S. pressure on Maduro, including sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and support for alternative political leadership, and the broader question of legitimacy and engagement in global politics. Russian officials argued that once a major power selectively determines how to treat foreign presidents, it weakens established diplomatic standards.

“After what we witnessed in Venezuela, it is difficult to pretend that traditional rules still apply,” one Russian official was quoted as saying, adding that Moscow is reassessing how international recognition and negotiations are conducted in a world increasingly shaped by power politics.

Russia’s comments appear aimed at highlighting what it sees as U.S. double standards, accusing Washington of selectively respecting sovereignty based on political interests. By referencing Trump-era policies toward Maduro, Moscow is signaling that Western actions have had lasting consequences beyond Latin America.

The statement also comes amid ongoing tensions over Ukraine, where Russia has long questioned Zelenskyy’s leadership while clashing with the United States and its allies over military, political, and economic support for Kyiv. Analysts say Moscow’s framing is designed to shift part of the responsibility for diplomatic breakdowns onto Washington.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials have consistently defended their approach to Venezuela and Ukraine as support for democracy and human rights, rejecting claims that their policies undermine international law.

As global power rivalries deepen, Russia’s remarks underscore a broader struggle over who sets the rules of diplomacy—and whether past actions in one region can redefine how leaders are treated in another. The debate, Moscow warns, may continue to reshape international relations far beyond Ukraine and Venezuela.