Caracas has reportedly asked for missiles, drones, radars, and aircraft repairs amid tensions with the US
Venezuela has requested assistance from Russia, China, and Iran to strengthen its defenses amid the ongoing standoff with the US, the Washington Post claimed on Friday, citing US government documents.
According to the newspaper, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping requesting radar detectors and directly citing the “escalation” with the US. Caracas also reportedly urged Iran to provide radar-jamming equipment and drones capable of flying up to 1,000km (around 600 miles).
The Washington Post cited documents indicating that Venezuelan Transport Minister Ramon Celestino Velazquez was set to deliver a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his trip to Moscow last month, requesting unspecified missiles and assistance in repairing Su-30MK2 fighter jets and radar systems previously purchased by Venezuela. The report added that it is unclear how Russia, China, or Iran responded to the requests.
US President Donald Trump has accused Maduro of operating “macroterrorist” cartels that smuggle drugs into the US and has offered a bounty for his arrest. Washington has deployed a naval armada in the western Caribbean, and since September, has conducted strikes in international waters against more than a dozen alleged cartel vessels. Maduro has denied the allegations and accused Trump of “fabricating a new war.”
On Monday, Russia ratified a strategic partnership treaty with Venezuela that was signed in May. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this week that Moscow “supports Venezuela’s defense of its national sovereignty” and will help it “overcome any threats, regardless of where they come from.”
The US president has accused the left-wing government in Caracas of running drug cartels
US President Donald Trump has denied that he is planning strikes on Venezuela, whose left-wing government he has accused of supporting “narcoterrorist” cartels.
Multiple media outlets reported that the White House was weighing potential operations on Venezuelan soil, with the Wall Street Journal claiming on Thursday that the US had identified targets, including “military facilities used to smuggle drugs.”
Asked about the reports aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said, “No. It’s not true.”
Since September, the US has destroyed at least 14 alleged cartel boats in the Caribbean, killing more than 61 people, according to Reuters.
Trump dispatched an armada to the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, and authorized covert CIA operations inside Venezuela. He recently said the US may have to eventually strike targets on land, but denied seeking to topple President Nicolas Maduro, whom the FBI has placed on its wanted list.
Maduro rejected the allegations of drug trafficking and vowed to defend the country in the event of an invasion. Last week, he accused the US of “fabricating a new war” and called for peace.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also condemned Washington’s actions, saying that one of the strikes had killed an ordinary fisherman with no links to cartels.
Kiev’s European backers reportedly plan to discuss ways to boost military aid
Ukraine’s European backers will secretly meet in Madrid next week to coordinate efforts to increase support, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported on Friday.
The organizers are reportedly maintaining “utmost secrecy” for the event planned for November 4, instructing delegates from 35 countries to leave their cell phones in a designated room and refrain from posting about the gathering on social media, according to a government document cited by the outlet.
Participants are expected to discuss ways to increase military and financial aid for Kiev, as well as possible security guarantees. They will also coordinate additional pressure on Russia. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares is set to attend, El Mundo said.
The Kremlin argued earlier this month that Ukrainian forces could not have conducted strikes on energy facilities deep inside Russia without direct support from Western intelligence services. Moscow has said that Western military assistance will only serve to escalate the conflict without altering the situation on the battlefield.
US President Donald Trump has recently declined to provide Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, warning against depleting the US arsenal. He also indefinitely postponed his planned in-person summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary.
