President Nicolás Maduro arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport this Tuesday, at the start of his official visit to the Russian Federation to participate in activities to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.
"We come to bring the always firm, courageous, and supportive greetings of the Venezuelan people, from the spiritual strength of Simón Bolívar, of Hugo Chávez, our supreme commander, and of a people who are also fighting in the 21st century against Nazi-fascism and against imperialism," he said.
Maduro emphasized the historical significance of the victory over Nazism. "The Soviet Union sacrificed 27 million human beings. It resisted in Moscow, Stalingrad, and Leningrad, and then millions of men and women reached Berlin to liberate Europe first and foremost. Europe has the Red Army and the Soviet Union to thank for it... It was the Red Army, the Soviet Union, that liberated them from Nazi-fascism. It liberated Europe. Then it discovered the concentration camps where 6 million Jewish brothers and sisters died and liberated them."
"And by liberating Europe and the Jewish people from the concentration camps, he freed humanity from the great Nazi-fascist threat and laid the foundations of international law that led to the creation of the United Nations. Today, that international law and that multilateral structure are in crisis and are once again under threat," he added.
In this regard, the head of state emphasized that his arrival in Moscow confirms that humanity's path must be one of peace, understanding, and respect for the equality of states. It is also an expression of infinite historical admiration for the Russian people, for the peoples of what was the Soviet Union, for the immense contribution they made to humanity.
"We are here with the strength of the Bolivarian Venezuelan people, telling President Putin, the Russian people, and the peoples of what was once the Soviet Union: Venezuela is always standing firm here," he declared.
Meeting between Maduro and Putin
It is expected that this Wednesday, President Nicolás Maduro meets in Moscow with his counterpart Vladimir Putin and sign a strategic partnership agreement, according to statements given by presidential advisor Yuri Ushakov to international agencies.
There will also be meetings in "large and small formats."
It should be noted that Venezuela has signed several cooperation agreements and established alliances with Russia.
Ushakov asserted that Venezuela is a reliable partner for Russia in Latin America and the world at large.
Given the deepening of bilateral ties, the parties will sign an interstate agreement on strategic partnership and cooperation after the negotiations in the Kremlin, he said.
The document covers "virtually all key issues on the agenda of bilateral relations," Ushakov said.
The previous meeting between Putin and Maduro took place in October 2024 in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of a BRICS summit.
Maduro announced the meeting in March
It should be noted that the last March 14, the national leader announced the meeting with his Russian counterpart while saying that several cooperation agreements would be signed.
The announcement came after a video call with Putin to mark the 80th anniversary of bilateral relations, and he stated that ties with Russia are "at the highest level."
In this regard, he noted that progress has been made in several areas by forging alliances with Moscow. "The economic, commercial, financial, banking, energy, industrial, public health, transportation, agriculture, information technology, science, education, culture, sports, among others," he stated.
In this regard, Vladimir Putin stated during the conversation that "the establishment of relations in March 1945 allowed for political dialogue to expand trade and cultural ties, a stage of cooperation that was later deepened by Commander Hugo Chávez, whose contribution, brilliant ideas, and firm stance allowed us to achieve this significant progress in our relations."
His stay in the Eurasian nation aims to deepen the alliances between Caracas and Moscow, a "strategic and cooperative partnership that will strengthen the foundations, in order to further expand multifaceted ties for the long term," Maduro explained his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a video conference on March 14.
Success on this new tour of Russia, President Maduro!