Venezuela wants urgent military support from Russia, China, and Iran amid the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, according to documents viewed by The Washington Post.
In a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said his country was seeking "expanded military cooperation" between their two countries to counter "the escalation between the U.S. and Venezuela."
In a letter to Moscow, Maduro requested repairs for radars, military aircraft, and possibly missile supplies, including restoring several Russian Sukhoi Su-30MK2 aircraft purchased by Venezuela.
The Sukhoi jets, he said, "represented the most important deterrent the Venezuelan National Government had when facing the threat of war," according to the documents.
Venezuelan Transport Minister Ramon Celestino Velasquez also recently coordinated the delivery of military equipment and drones from Iran while planning a visit to that country, according to the Post.
Velasquez also told an Iranian official that Caracas needs "passive detection devices," "GPS jammers," and "almost certainly drones with a range of 1,000 km."
"In the missive, Maduro emphasized the seriousness of perceived U.S. aggression in the Caribbean, framing U.S. military action against Venezuela as action against China due to their shared ideology," the U.S. documents state.
The U.S. has built up a large military presence in the Caribbean in recent months, with fighter jets, warships, and thousands of troops. That presence will significantly expand in the coming weeks with the arrival of the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group.
The U.S. campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific has already targeted at least 14 boats that Washington said were involved in the illegal drug trade, killing 61 people. President Donald Trump confirmed he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov this week said Moscow "respects Venezuela's sovereignty" and believes the issue with the U.S. should be resolved in accordance with "international law," the Post reported.
Trump on Friday said he was not considering strikes in Venezuela following reports his administration identified potential military targets there.
"No. It's not true," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked about bombing.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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