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News Analysis
American adversaries are unlikely to help President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela fend off a concerted attack. But they have made toppling him harder.
Anatoly Kurmanaev has worked as a correspondent in Venezuela and Russia for nearly a decade.
Nov. 18, 2025Updated 3:48 p.m. ET
Cuban bodyguards, Chinese radars, Iranian gunboats and Russian missiles.
Venezuela’s government has spent billions of dollars over the years on weapons and security services from America’s adversaries as it deepened its standoff with the United States.
Now, President Trump’s threats to escalate the standoff are putting these alliances to the test.
The United States has amassed about 15,000 troops and some of its most modern warships in the Caribbean, called President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela illegitimate, and declared him the head of a drug-trafficking terrorist organization. On Monday, Mr. Trump made the most explicit connection yet between the military buildup and Mr. Maduro’s tenure, telling reporters he was “not in love” with Venezuela’s leadership.
“We just have to take care of Venezuela,” he added. In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has vacillated between suggesting imminent strikes on Venezuela and engaging Mr. Maduro through diplomacy.
Few in Washington or in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, expect the Venezuelan military to withstand a concerted assault by America’s military might, if that’s what Mr. Trump chooses.
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None of Mr. Maduro’s allies have the ability or political will to increase their support in a way that would fundamentally tip the scales of such a conflict in Venezuela’s favor, according to analysts and people close to the Venezuelan government.
