Amid the buildup of American troops in the Caribbean, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is reaching out to Russia, China, and Iran to strengthen the country's worn-out military capabilities and requesting assistance by asking for defensive radars, aircraft repairs, and possibly missiles, according to internal US government documents, obtained by The Washington Post.
The requests to Moscow were outlined in a letter to Putin, which was to be delivered during a visit by a senior aide to the Russian capital this month. In the letter, Maduro asked the Russians to help strengthen his country's air defense, including restoring several Russian Sukhoi Su-20MK2 aircraft previously acquired by Venezuela. Maduro also requested assistance in overhauling eight engines and five radars in Russia, acquiring 14 sets of what are believed to be Russian missiles, as well as unspecified «logistical support», according to the documents.
According to the documents, Maduro also wrote a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping requesting «expanded military cooperation» between the two countries to counter «the escalation of tensions between the US and Venezuela».
The documents state that Transport Minister Ramón Celestino Velásquez also recently coordinated the delivery of military equipment and drones from Iran, planning a visit to that country.
«In his message, Maduro emphasized the seriousness of the alleged US aggression in the Caribbean, presenting US military actions against Venezuela as actions against China due to their shared ideology», — the US documents state. It is unclear from the documents how Russia, China, and Iran responded.
Meanwhile, the publication notes that on Sunday, an Il-76 plane — one of the Russian planes sanctioned by the US in 2023 for involvement in arms trading and transporting mercenaries — arrived in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, after a detour over Africa to avoid Western airspace.
However, the confrontation between Washington and Caracas might even bring some unexpected benefits to the Kremlin, as it distracts US attention from Europe, according to WP. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow «respects Venezuela's sovereignty» and believes that this issue should be resolved in accordance with «international law» — a typical argument the Kremlin often uses to avoid sharp geopolitical questions.
In the longer term, a regime change in Venezuela would be a serious blow to Moscow, as it could lead to the loss of one of its main allies and a significant weakening of another — Cuba, an even older ally of Moscow.
Photo: AFP