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As Trump targets Venezuela, its allies Russia and China show little signs of support

December 13, 2025

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is facing a significant erosion of support from his longtime allies China and Russia, who are now offering only symbolic backing rather than concrete military or financial assistance. Both nations are preoccupied with their own challenges—Russia with its war in Ukraine and China with managing relations with the Trump administration—making Venezuela a lower priority. This diplomatic shift coincides with a major US military buildup in the Caribbean, including deployment of 15,000 troops, naval forces, and a nuclear submarine, ostensibly to combat drug trafficking but widely interpreted as aimed at regime change.

Who is affected

  • Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his government
  • The Venezuelan people and opposition groups
  • Opposition leader María Corina Machado (2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate)
  • Opposition candidate Edmundo González
  • Russia and China as Venezuela's traditional allies
  • The United States and the Trump administration
  • More than 80 people killed in US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats
  • Personnel on the seized Venezuelan oil tanker

What action is being taken

  • The US has deployed air and naval forces to the Caribbean, including a nuclear-powered submarine, spy planes, and 15,000 troops
  • The US is conducting strikes on boats in the region alleged to be smuggling drugs
  • The US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela
  • Russia and China are issuing statements condemning external interference and urging restraint
  • The Kremlin called Maduro to affirm support following the tanker seizure
  • China is focused on recovering past loans rather than providing new lending

Why it matters

  • This represents a critical turning point in Venezuelan geopolitics as Maduro loses tangible support from his most important international backers at a moment of heightened US military pressure. The weakening of China-Russia support signals that Venezuela has become expendable in their broader strategic calculations—Russia prioritizing its Ukraine war effort and China protecting its economic relationship with the United States. The combination of increased US military presence, fraudulent election allegations that have undermined Maduro's legitimacy even among allies, and the withdrawal of concrete support from Beijing and Moscow suggests the Venezuelan government's position is increasingly precarious, potentially leading to significant political change in the country.

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC

As Trump targets Venezuela, its allies Russia and China show little signs of support