Russia and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro regime have further solidified their “strategic alliance” on defense matters, this time working deals related to intelligence gathering and counterespionage efforts. This latest round of agreements is part of more than 300 agreements both countries have signed since the early 2000s to increase cooperation.
The agreements, 17 in total, were finalized during an early November 2024 visit to the Venezuelan capital by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister for Tourism, Sport, Culture, and Communication Dmitry Chernyshenko. During the meeting, which also entailed an energy cooperation agreement, Chernyshenko offered Maduro “the most sophisticated weapons and military equipment,” The Moscow Times reported.
Russia is one of the few countries that recognizes Maduro’s victory in the elections of July 28, 2024, despite overwhelming evidence that the opposition candidate won. China, Cuba, Iran, and Nicaragua are among the very few others that offered Maduro their congratulations.
For former Venezuelan Ambassador Oscar Hernández Bernalette, Venezuela represents a point of value within the geopolitics of Latin America, due to its proximity to the United States and its hydrocarbon reserves.
“The relationship between the two countries [Russia and Venezuela] has not been extremely beneficial in the economic aspect,” Hernández told Diálogo.
Russia became, together with China, the main arms supplier of the Venezuelan regime in the first decade of this century. Although Russia and Venezuela signed a new agreement in 2021 for the supply of military equipment, this did not materialize due to the financial difficulties of the Maduro regime. Similarly, in 2020 Russian oil company Rosneft ceased its operations in the Orinoco Oil Belt, to prevent being subjected to U.S. sanctions.
And while a private Russian operator flew tourists on direct flights to the Caribbean-style beaches of Margarita Island, the influx of money from Russian vacationers in Venezuela was short lived, Hernández said. “Both Russia and Venezuela are suffering from economic crises. In Russia’s case, it’s a consequence of the war effort against Ukraine,” Hernández said. “In spite of this, the leaders of both countries remain united because they share an autocratic vision of State management.”
Failure of the BRICS
Following the contested Venezuelan election, Putin extended an invitation to Maduro to take part in the 2024 BRICS summit, held in the Russian city of Kazan.
Maduro had hoped to become a member of this group and gain access to the credit lines of the New Development Bank. A dream Brazil’s President Luis Inacio da Silva cut short by blocking Venezuela’s entry because Maduro failed to present the official results of the July election.
For Carlos Romero, an expert in international relations and former advisor of Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, what happened at the BRICS meeting shows that Russia’s influence capacity has significantly ebbed.
“Russia has not had the best of luck in recent months,” Romero told Diálogo. “First because of how the war in Ukraine has stagnated, and secondly, due to the fall of its economy, because the sanctions by the European Union and the United States have reduced its capacity for expansion and association with other countries, not only around its territory, but also in continents such as Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.”
Faced with this situation, Romero added, Russia will continue to use diplomatic language to reaffirm its proximity to Venezuela.
According to think tank Wilson Center, Putin and Maduro have “mutual interests,” which include staying in power. As such, Russia will continue to provide support to Maduro to help him maintain some sort of claim to international legitimacy.
