Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Image: keystone
Dec 11, 2025, 8:04 p.mDec 11, 2025, 8:04 p.m
Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged his support to the authoritarian Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro amid growing tensions between the South American country and the United States. In a telephone conversation with Maduro, Putin highlighted the new strategic partnership between the two countries and assured the people of Venezuela of Russia’s solidarity, the Kremlin said in Moscow.
Putin therefore supported Maduro’s course of “protecting the country’s national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing pressure from outside.” There was no mention of military assistance from Russia in the wake of tensions with the USA in the Kremlin statement. In the past, Moscow had also sent Russian military experts to the country. There were no indications that Russia could abandon Maduro – like the long-supported Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad – and grant him asylum.
Russia warns of an escalation of the situation around Venezuela
“Both sides reaffirmed their willingness to consistently implement joint projects in the areas of trade, economics, energy, finance, culture, humanitarian and other areas,” the Kremlin statement said. The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously demanded clarity from the USA about its plans in Venezuela.
Moscow hopes that Washington will not allow the situation around Venezuela to escalate further and will not go to war, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in Moscow. There is a risk that the conflict will lead to unforeseeable consequences for the entire West, she warned.
Although Russia is also considered an important arms supplier to Venezuela, it is tied down by its war of aggression against Ukraine. Putin is also negotiating with Trump about ending the war in Ukraine and better relations with the USA. (sda/dpa)