Strategic Isolation Looms: Report Reveals Russia and China Advised Maduro Against Escalation with Trump Administration

After more than two decades of relying on counter-Washington alliances, Venezuela now faces a severe strategic void. A report by the American newspaper "Wall Street Journal" confirms that its most prominent international backers—Russia and China—are clearly maintaining distance from any potential confrontation between the Caracas government and the administration of US President Donald Trump.

In recent years, Moscow and Beijing pumped billions of dollars into the Venezuelan economy through loans and oil-linked investments. However, the severe economic collapse and the decline in oil production to decades-low levels have transformed Venezuela from a partner—expected to help shape an "alternative global order"—into a geopolitical and economic burden on its supporters.

Western diplomatic and intelligence sources revealed to the newspaper that Russia and China secretly informed President Nicolás Maduro's government that they do not intend to provide extensive military or financial support should the Trump administration escalate its measures.

This move aligns with the new priorities of the allies: Russia, which still maintains a few hundred military personnel and contractors in Venezuela, reduced its presence since 2022 to concentrate its efforts and resources on the Ukraine war. Beijing, meanwhile, prefers to avoid any direct friction with Washington in the Western Hemisphere, particularly amidst ongoing trade and technological tensions between the two giants.

On the American side, information from current and former US officials suggests that the new Trump administration is seriously considering reimposing the "maximum pressure" policy on Caracas. This policy includes secondary sanctions on companies and countries dealing with Venezuelan oil, in addition to reopening drug trafficking charges against Maduro, for whom a $15 million reward remains posted for his capture.

The report concludes that strategic calculations have shifted: Moscow and Beijing had long used Venezuela as a leverage point against the United States. However, Caracas's ability to offer any tangible strategic or economic gains to its allies has diminished, at a time when neither Russia nor China desires to incur losses or enter additional confrontations with Washington.