Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's second-in-command after the pope, urged the United States in late December to allow former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to seek asylum in Russia, The Washington Post reported.
“Maduro was offered the opportunity to go and enjoy his money. Part of that offer was that Putin would guarantee his safety,“ a source familiar with the matter said.
The article states that Parolin urgently summoned US Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch on Christmas Eve to demand details about Washington's plans in Venezuela. Citing government documents, the publication reports that the influential Italian cardinal has been trying for several days to contact Secretary of State Marco Rubio, "desperately seeking to prevent bloodshed and destabilization in Venezuela."
In a conversation with Burch, an ally of President Donald Trump, Parolin said that Moscow was ready to provide asylum to Maduro and "begged Americans to be patient" until the Venezuelan politician agreed to this offer, the article says.
The Vatican stressed its disappointment that "excerpts of a confidential conversation were published, inaccurately reflecting the content of the conversation itself, which took place over the Christmas period."
Burch's press secretary referred all questions on the matter to the State Department, which declined to comment. Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, did not respond to the newspaper's request for comment, the article said.
“The New York Times“ earlier reported that the United States had offered Nicolas Maduro the opportunity to voluntarily step down as president of Venezuela at the end of 2025 and go into “gilded exile“ in Turkey. “However, Mr. Maduro has categorically rejected this plan“, the source said.
“Politico“, citing sources, mentioned Russia, Azerbaijan and Cuba as other possible destinations for Maduro. Later, the Telegraph, citing sources, reported that the US had offered Maduro asylum in China or Russia, but he intended to remain in the Western Hemisphere, such as Cuba.
In mid-November, the New York Times reported that Maduro had offered the US a two- to three-year transition period for withdrawal, but the White House had refused a deferral and demanded his immediate departure.
Operation Absolute Determination to capture the Venezuelan president was carried out on the night of January 3. Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured and taken to the US. They are accused of "narcoterrorism", weapons possession and drug smuggling and will be tried.