Washington's responsibility for such actions is obvious," Moscow's envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has said

Russia condemns the seizure of oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela by the US military, Moscow's envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has said. Earlier this week, the US Coast Guard conducted the second such operation.

"We strongly condemn the seizure of oil tankers by the US military and the de facto imposition of a naval blockade of Venezuela," Nebenzia said on Tuesday as quoted by RIA Novosti.

"Washington's responsibility for the catastrophic consequences of such cowboy behavior for the residents of the blockaded country is also obvious. Unfortunately, there is every reason to believe that the US actions against Venezuela are not a one-off. This unfolding intervention could become a template for future military actions against Latin American states," Nebenzia noted.

US President Donald Trump has justified the blockade by claiming that the Latin American country "stole" US energy assets, while warning that Caracas will face the might of "the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America" unless it returns them.

The US also deployed a large number of special-operations aircraft and multiple cargo planes carrying troops and equipment to the Caribbean earlier this week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The first two oil tankers seized were operating on the black market and providing oil to countries under sanctions, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House's National Economic Council, has claimed.

Since September, the US military has also been conducting strikes on small boats alleged to be carrying drugs, which UN experts have condemned as unlawful extrajudicial executions.

When asked repeatedly during a press conference on Monday if Washington's intention was to force Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from power, Trump gave non-committal remarks alluding to that possibility. "He can do whatever he wants," the president responded. "If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it will be the last time he ever plays tough." He also claimed it would be "smart" for Maduro to step down.