What help can Maduro expect from Putin in the event of a US attack?
Russia stands in solidarity with Venezuela in the face of the US threat, but it cannot and should not provide it with more weapons.
MoscowDonald Trump's penchant for shaking up global geopolitics unsettles Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin watches helplessly as its allies plead for help when besieged by the United States, offering them nothing but reassuring words. The latest example is Venezuela, which is facing US attacks against their vessels under accusations of drug trafficking. Nicolás Maduro would appreciate military support from Moscow, but the Russian leader is neither in a position to assist his partner nor interested in confronting Washington. Putin and Maduro spoke by telephone on Thursday. According to a very brief statement from the Kremlin, the Russian leader expressed "solidarity" with the Venezuelan people and reaffirmed support for his government's policies "aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty in the face of increasing external pressure." Not a word about the United States, much less about weapons. He also pledged to develop "friendly relations" between the two countries under the strategic partnership and cooperation treaty they signed in November. Although this agreement provides for exchanges in the military-technical sphere, it does not obligate either party to assist the other in the event of an attack. Russia has only committed to providing military assistance under this provision to Belarus and North Korea. The agreement with Venezuela is more similar to what the Kremlin has also signed with Iran, and as has been demonstrated when Tehran was attacked by Israel and the United States in JunePutin is not forcing Moscow to lift a finger for its allies.
Putin is walking a tightrope. First, mired in a war of attrition, he cannot afford to export as many weapons as before 2022. His loss of influence on the international stage has not only been demonstrated by his equidistance in the conflict between Israel and Iran: he also could not avoid the fall of Al-Assad in Syria Nor the defeat of Armenia in the conflict with Azerbaijan, to cite two recent examples. Second, the Russian leader does not want an indirect confrontation with Trump, given his repeated criticisms of US military support for Kyiv. And third, tensions with the United States are not in his best interest. full process of negotiating a peace agreement in Ukraine.
Maduro wants Russian weapons
According to theWashington PostIn mid-October, Maduro requested military assistance from Putin. A US report states that the Venezuelan president sent a letter to Moscow requesting fourteen missiles for anti-aircraft defense systems, fighter jets, and overhauls of eight aircraft engines and five radars. Shortly afterward, Alexei Khuravlev, vice-chairman of the Russian parliament's Defense Committee, explained that Russia had delivered several anti-aircraft systems to Venezuela and raised the possibility of supplying them with the Oreshnik ballistic missile, the Kremlin's crown jewel. However, there is no evidence that any of these weapons have arrived in Caracas.
Since Putin's rise to power, Russia and Venezuela have maintained a close relationship And, first Hugo Chávez and then Maduro, have imported a large amount of Russian military equipment. Particularly significant was the shipment of two nuclear-capable bombers during Trump's first term. The friendship has also been based on energy cooperation. Rosneft, Russia's main oil company, jointly exploits some of the country's oil fields with the Venezuelan state oil company, and both governments work together to circumvent the sanctions imposed on each other.
In fact, the Kremlin protested on Thursday when the United States They confiscated a ship in front of them. off the coast of Venezuela, a ship was allegedly carrying sanctioned oil to Iran. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov wholeheartedly demanded explanations from Washington, given that they "consider themselves entitled to carry out these operations." He also pointed out the contradiction that, while the Americans detained a fuel-laden ship in Venezuelan waters, the American oil company Chevron was buying Venezuelan oil. Both houses of the Russian parliament also urged the international community to condemn what they called "aggressive actions" by the United States against Venezuela. This gesture appears to be merely for show, given Putin's passivity.
