Russia is prepared to respond to Venezuela’s requests for assistance, while urging against any escalation of tension in the region, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday (November 7, 2025).

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has appealed to Moscow for military support, including repairs to Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets, upgrades to radar systems, and the delivery of missile systems.

The request was made in response to what Caracas views as growing threats from Washington, which has built up a large military presence in the Caribbean in recent months.

Russia on Sunday (October 5, 2025) condemned a U.S. strike on a vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela and cautioned about the dangers of potential U.S. escalation in the entire Caribbean region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, spoke to his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gil, by telephone on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

“Sergei Lavrov said that Russia strongly condemns the new strike by the U.S. armed forces on October 3 on a ship in international waters near Venezuela,” the Ministry said.

“The Ministers expressed serious concern about Washington’s escalating actions in the Caribbean Sea that are fraught with far-reaching consequences for the region,” it said.

Four people were killed in the October 3 strike on the vessel which Washington accused of transporting “substantial amounts of narcotics— headed to America to poison our people.”

Moscow said that there was “no certainty that the United States will not in any way link its declared war against drug cartels with the situation in Haiti”.

Russia also cautioned against attempts to broadly interpret a recent U.N.

Security Council resolution to more than double the size of an 15-month-old underfunded and understaffed international security mission combating armed gangs in Haiti.

Russia, China and Pakistan abstained from the vote on the measure put forward by the United States and Panama. The remaining 13 council members voted in favour.

“The Russian side has confirmed its full support and solidarity with the leadership and people of Venezuela in the current context,” the Russian Ministry said.