Analysts say U.S. President Donald Trump showcased the politics of power by capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, while Russia, considered another great power, exposed its ineptitude and lost face.
On the 6th (local time), the U.S. political outlet Politico reported, "With the world watching, it was once again laid bare at a decisive moment that Putin is not a reliable ally," adding, "That Trump executed, far more effectively and boldly, the kind of unilateral superpower move Russia had long sought to pull off is another humiliation (for Putin)."
President Putin has long envisioned a so‑called multipolar order led by multiple countries and has formed alliances with various nations by casting the United States as a common enemy. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, it asked its allies for support, and Iran cooperated by selling military drones to Russia. Latin American and African countries short on military resources also voiced support for Russia.
But Russia did not respond proactively when its allies were in crisis. Even when Armenia, a Russian ally, clashed with Azerbaijan over Nagorno‑Karabakh in 2020, Russia offered no tangible assistance. In 2022, when Azerbaijan again advanced into the area and pressured Armenia, Russia rejected Armenia's request for support, citing a lack of available troops due to the war in Ukraine.
In the process of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria collapsing to rebels in Dec. 2024, Russia again failed to wield meaningful power. It even abandoned its naval base stationed at the Syrian port of Tartus. Last year, when Iran faced Western sanctions and military pressure from Israel, Russia likewise did not actively support its ally. Although Russia had long maintained a key strategic partnership with Iran in nuclear technology, it was unable to provide practical help when Iran's nuclear facilities came under U.S. military attack.
Russia's ineptitude stood out even more in the latest Venezuela episode. As President Maduro was arrested by U.S. forces at a safe house in his country and flown to the United States, Russia issued only a statement urging his release, saying the United States had committed an act of armed aggression. Unlike cases in which leaders who had long allied with Russia, such as Syrian President Assad, fled into exile in Russia amid national crises, President Maduro did not receive Russia's protection.
Politico noted that although President Putin has adhered to the model that might makes right like President Trump, he has never matched Trump's results. Abbas Gallyamov, a prominent Russian political analyst and former Kremlin speechwriter, said, "Putin will be extremely jealous of Trump," adding, "Trump did in Venezuela in just 30 minutes what Putin had promised to do in Ukraine." Nearly four full years into the war with Ukraine, Putin still has no clear achievements to show.
Criticism is mounting even among pro‑Russia figures. Alexander Dugin, a prominent far‑right nationalist, said, "Across Russia we are asking ourselves why we do not deal with enemies the way Trump does," arguing, "Act like Trump, but do it better and faster than Trump." Igor Girkin, a nationalist former spy‑turned‑soldier and war blogger, likewise said, "Our image has taken another hit. Another country that had hoped for Russia's help ended up receiving nothing."