Russia and China, Main Arms Suppliers for Venezuela

The United States (US) government arrested Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, on Saturday (January 3, 2026).

According to a press release from the US presidential office, The White House, Maduro's arrest is part of the US's efforts to combat drug trafficking.

"We are at war with drug trafficking organizations, not at war with Venezuela," said US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in a press release on Sunday (January 4, 2026).

"Maduro is not only a convicted drug trafficker, he is an illegitimate president," Marco said.

This US action was opposed by two other major countries, Russia and China.

Citing an Al Jazeera report on Saturday (January 3, 2026), the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Venezuela's right to self-determination must be guaranteed, without destructive external military interference."

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs then stated, "China firmly opposes the hegemonic behavior of the US, which seriously violates international law, infringes upon Venezuela's sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean."

Russia and China are Venezuela's main arms suppliers.

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), during the 2005-2022 period, there were 55 arms delivery deals from various countries to Venezuela.

The most deliveries came from Russia with 20 deals, followed by China with 12 deals.

These deals included agreements for the delivery of various military equipment, ranging from missiles, rocket launchers, armored fighting vehicles, tanks, helicopters, to fighter jets.

Meanwhile, arms delivery deals to Venezuela from other countries were fewer, as shown in the graph.

SIPRI collected this data from publicly accessible sources, including mass media reports, arms company reports, arms export-import reports, government agency reports, and reports from international organizations such as The United Nations Register of Conventional Arms.