In an interview with Russia’s International Affairs magazine abridged on Nov. 20, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned that the Caribbean is becoming a dangerous “flashpoint,” due to the baseless claims that Venezuela’s presidency is responsible for drug-trafficking. “This is certainly a potential flashpoint, and it’s already becoming one, under a completely flimsy pretext. It’s clear that the fight against drug trafficking must be waged by other means, and it’s equally clear that the accusations against the Venezuelan leadership, and Venezuela as a country, are also, by and large, unfounded,” said Ryabkov.