Maduro compares Putin to Ronaldo

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a star of international politics and is “a born scorer” like football star Cristiano Ronaldo, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday during a high-level meeting with a Russian delegation in Caracas.

Maduro was commenting on last month’s BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan, which he attended, calling it “a great success.”

“There were 30 heads of state there… and he [Putin] hosted all the delegations, bilateral meetings, attended the plenary session. Without a doubt… President Vladimir Putin is a star of international politics. He is a born scorer, a born scorer like Cristiano Ronaldo, he has the instincts of a scorer,” the Venezuelan leader said during a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional football player who set numerous records throughout his professional career. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

In his speech, Maduro also touched upon the Ukraine conflict, claiming that Russia has for years faced “the diplomacy of deception,” and was “forced to defend itself.”

“Putin… knew how to act in a timely manner against the threat of Nazism which had originated in the coup d’état in Ukraine,” Maduro said, apparently referring to the 2014 Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev, which ousted the country’s democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovich.

Putin previously accused the West of “hypocrisy” and “duplicity” in its dealings with Moscow.

”Is it fair to lie to our faces about NATO not expanding, and then expand it anyway?” Putin asked during the BRICS Summit, referring to assurances given to Russia in the 1990s. He also said the 2014 Maidan coup in Ukraine was a violation of international law and the reason for the ongoing conflict between Kiev and Moscow.

Maduro also commented on the “excellent and historic” speech that Putin gave at Sochi’s annual Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday. During his address, the Russian leader called for a new global order in which no nation feels “disadvantaged” or relegated to a lesser role on the world stage.

“The key element in understanding the new world is that there are new superpowers like Russia, new non-colonial superpowers… that base their relationship with the world on respect, equality… and cooperation,” Maduro said, drawing on the history of Latin America and its 200-year fight against colonialism.

The BRICS group of emerging countries includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. It gathered for its 16th annual summit in the Russian city of Kazan last month.