Russia's Venezuelan Policy Is In A Shambles

Economic ties between Russia and Venezuela range from oil and loans to arms sales [File: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters]

Al Jazeera: What Russia stands to lose in Venezuela

While the US pushes to drive Venezuela's Maduro from power, Russia vows to continue supporting it's 'strategic partner'.

As Washington intensifies its push to drive Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro from power, Russia's Vladimir Putin has vowed to support his South American "strategic partner" and warned of the "catastrophic" consequences if the United States were to send military assistance to opposition leader Juan Guaido.

When the US called a special United Nations Security Council session on Saturday, focused on the crisis in Venezuela, Russia used the session to warn against foreign intervention in the Latin American nation and accused the US of attempting a "coup".

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WNU Editor: This Russian adventure to cultivate ties first with Venezuelan President Chavez and now Venezuelan President Maduro have been a disaster in the making. The end result of this courtship is that the Venezuelan government now owes Moscow tens of billions of dollars, and there are now doubts that it can even meet a minimal payment of $100 million in March .... Russia tells Venezuela it must repay its debt to Moscow on time (Reuters). This is also hurting Russian President Putin political. There is no Russian public support for the Kremlin to prop up regimes like Venezuela's Maduro, and even less so with Russian funds.