Venezuelan Parliament Approves ‘Strategic Partnership’ Treaty With Russia Amid US Threats

Lisbon, Portugal, September 23, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan National Assembly (AN) has preliminarily approved a new cooperation agreement with Russia.

On Thursday, the legislative body ratified a preliminary version of the “Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Treaty” between the two allied nations. The project will undergo further debates and consultations before being submitted to a second and decisive vote.

Deputy Roy Daza, a member of the AN’s foreign policy commission, hailed the treaty as a step furthering the nations’ longstanding alliance and joint work towards a “multipolar world order.”

“This treaty is a message of peace and sovereignty in the current geopolitical context,” he said during the parliamentary session. “It underpins international law and the peoples’ right to self-determination.”

Though the project’s text has not been publicly disclosed, Daza stated that it deepens existing ties in areas such as energy, defense and technology. The bill also reportedly proposes the creation of a commission to oversee the treaty’s implementation.

Caracas and Moscow have strengthened bilateral relations in recent years amidst growing hostility and economic sanctions from Washington. Earlier this year, presidents Nicolás Maduro and Vladimir Putin signed a 10-year cooperation agreement spanning several areas, including access to Russia’s Glonass navigation system.

Maduro has visited Russia several times as president, most recently to join the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

The most recent initiative to expand the alliance between the two countries comes amidst growing US military threats against Venezuela. The Trump administration has ordered a large-scale navy deployment in Caribbean waters under a purported fight against drug trafficking. US forces have struck three boats in recent weeks, alleging they carried US-bound drugs, killing 17 people in total.

US officials have not provided court-tested evidence to sustain “narcoterrorism” accusations against Maduro and other high-ranking officials. At the same time, reports from bodies such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have identified Venezuela as a country with no record of drug production and a marginal role in terms of transit.

Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have condemned the US military escalation and reiterated support for Caracas. China, another of Venezuela’s key geopolitical allies, has likewise criticized the Trump administration’s “coercion and intimidation” tactics and called for an end to military threats in the region.

The Venezuelan armed forces have engaged in large-scale military exercises in the face of Washington’s ongoing deployment, involving navy, air force and artillery units. Social media footage has shown assets, including Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 MK2 fighter jets.

Edited by Cira Pascual Marquina in Caracas.