Hear’s a breakdown of the key information from the provided text, focusing on Russia’s involvement with Venezuela:
* Oil Joint Ventures: Caracas (Venezuela) extended oil joint ventures with Russia’s roszarubezhneft through 2041, with $616 million in planned investment.
* Diminished Oil Projects: Despite the extension, a russian energy expert (Stanislav Mitrakhovich) states that Russia’s oil projects in Venezuela are now “relatively small” compared to 10-15 years ago. They are less about significant revenue generation adn more potentially about strategic influence.
* Arms Sales: Venezuela has purchased weapons from Russia, including man-portable air-defense systems, tanks, and air defense systems.
* Trade Imbalance: Russia imports agricultural products (cocoa, coffee, fruits, alcohol) from Venezuela.
* Continued Presence: Despite US pressure, Russia is unlikely to fully withdraw from the region. There’s a belief that interaction channels with the US remain open for cooperation.
* Political Implications: The situation in Venezuela is seen as impacting Russia’s standing relative to the US. A prosperous regime change in Venezuela (and Iran) by Trump would weaken Putin, while failure would strengthen him.
* Precedent Setting: The situation reinforces the idea that stronger nations have power over weaker ones, and Moscow is observing this for future implications.
the article also includes a plea for support for The Moscow times due to being labeled an “undesirable” organization by the Russian government.
