A senior Russian lawmaker said Moscow should consider providing Venezuela with its advanced Oreshnik midrange ballistic missile as the Trump administration ramps up its military presence in the Caribbean with the deployment of at least eight U.S. Navy warships, a submarine and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group.
Alexei Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, told the pro-Kremlin Gazeta.ru news site this week that Russia is already a key provider of military hardware to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“We supply the country with virtually the entire range of weapons, from small arms to aircraft. Russian Su-30MK2 fighters are the backbone of the Venezuelan air force, making it one of the most powerful air powers in the region,” Mr. Zhuralev said.
Russia has already delivered several battalions of air defense missiles to Venezuela to protect critical facilities from air attacks. That includes the Russian Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E systems that were recently delivered to Caracas by an Il-76 transport aircraft, Mr. Zhuravlev said.
He said nothing prevents Russia from providing allies like Venezuela with the latest weapons.
“Information about the volume and exact names of what’s being imported from Russia is classified, so the Americans could be in for some surprises,” Mr. Zhuravlev told the news outlet. “I don’t see any obstacles to supplying a friendly country with new developments like the Oreshnik or, say, the proven Kalibr missiles.”
The White House said the increased U.S. military buildup off Venezuela’s coast is part of an operation aimed at disrupting drug traffickers tied to the Caracas regime.
In August, the U.S. accused Mr. Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles — Cartel of the Suns — a narcotics-trafficking ring that works with the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua gang, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and other international criminal networks.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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