Russia signs multiple agreements with Venezuela, pledges 'most sophisticated weapons'

Russia and Venezuela signed several agreements on November 7 during a visit to Caracas by a senior Kremlin official.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko told Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez that Moscow was ready to support the Venezuelan armed forces with "the most sophisticated weapons and military equipment," AFP reported, citing information from Venezuelan state television.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (right) and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernishenko in Caracas (Venezuela) on November 7.

The two countries also agreed to cooperate in areas including "intelligence and counterintelligence issues", the use of drones and oil and gas exploration technology, according to the person coordinating the talks between the two sides.

Later, in a ceremony at Miraflores Palace, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said 17 agreements would be "signed and consolidate the path of cooperation and integration" between Venezuela and Russia "from now until 2030 and beyond."

Russia is one of the few countries that has recognized President Maduro’s claim that he won a third consecutive term in the July 28 election, which was contested by the opposition and led to widespread protests.

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The United States and several Latin American countries have backed opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate winner, based on detailed election results released by the opposition.

Venezuela's electoral authority affiliated with President Maduro has yet to announce the results of the vote.

Caracas moved closer to Moscow under socialist leader Hugo Chavez, who led Venezuela on a far-left, anti-US platform from 1999 until his death from cancer in 2013, according to AFP.

Those ties have continued under Mr Chavez’s hand-picked successor, Mr Maduro, who has defended Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves and once produced more than 3 million barrels of oil per day, long its only significant source of foreign currency. However, after years of mismanagement and sanctions, production has fallen to around one million barrels, according to AFP.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nga-ky-nhieu-thoa-thuan-voi-venezuela-ra-cam-ket-ve-vu-khi-tinh-vi-nhat-185241108100223842.htm