A good indication that the US intervention in Venezuela meant a step back for Vladimir Putin is also given by the silence of the pro-Russian party in Bucharest.
Many of those who call themselves sovereigntists, led by George Simion, the leader of AUR, have been part of the Kremlin’s propaganda chorus over the past few years.
Their political actions, some violent, especially the illegal promotion of Călin Georgescu, reflected the way the Kremlin positioned itself towards Romania.
All the influence networks that Moscow had in Bucharest, remnants from the communist era, rebuilt in the '90s, were activated, funded, and developed immediately after the invasion of Ukraine four years ago.
Donald Trump's return to power in November 2024 represented a rare moment in which Vladimir Putin saw an opportunity to obtain validation for his actions from the new American administration.
There has been much talk about the close relationship between Donald Trump and Putin, one that was also evident during the first term of the American president.
Many have said that the American leader is being blackmailed by Russia, that the FSB has had leverage over him since the '80s, when Donald Trump made a trip to Moscow.
So far, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim, but it cannot be denied that Donald Trump has always looked at Putin with admiration, offering him a series of opportunities to end the conflict in Ukraine in his favor.
US critics have turned into MAGA enthusiasts
In this context, after Donald Trump's return to the White House, a large part of Russia's supporters in Bucharest overnight transformed into pro-Americans.
Suddenly, individuals who for years had presented themselves as major critics of the US became MAGA and Trump supporters. Victor Ponta and Crin Antonescu are two of the most important political figures of the past decade who, from displaying hatred towards the US, overnight became strong supporters of the American president.
It has been repeatedly observed that when the relationship between Trump and Putin is not going well, and the Kremlin delays its propaganda directives, in Romania, among sovereigntists, there is a silence that can last for hours, even days sometimes, until new scenarios are prepared.
For example, George Simion, after Trump's intervention in Venezuela did not post anything on his Facebook page about this event, despite announcing loudly that he would soon visit the US as a strong supporter of American policy.
The operation that led to the arrest of Maduro, a Putin ally, seems to have caught the AUR leader off guard.
Unfortunately, in Romania, the conservative current has been taken over and is controlled by Kremlin agents.
Due to a large part of the population being anti-Russia as a result of the post-World War II occupation, the imposition of communism, the impoverishment of peasants through war reparations that Romania was largely forced to pay in agricultural products, the theft of the treasury, and others, the Kremlin has masked its hostile political actions launched against Romania, as well as other European states, behind extreme-right, nationalist-populist formations and groups.
Much attention, little understanding
When the funding and connections with Russia started to be exposed, the Kremlin turned them into ones that support American conservatism and MAGA, taking advantage of the authoritarian and undemocratic tendencies of Donald Trump.
In this way, as if by magic, politicians, influencers, actors, and others who had become known as major critics of the US, democracy, and liberalism overnight became MAGA adherents.
The ideological balancing act performed by the Kremlin shows how much attention it pays to the political dynamics in the free world, but also how little it understands it.
Moscow looks on with great envy, because that's what a special military operation looks like, not what the Russians did in Ukraine. The comparison was made by military commentators, the so-called Zet-bloggers, who picked up the details of the American operation from the international press...
Armand Goșu, expert in the history of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, Contributors.ro
A closed political system always tends to view and analyze the world from a static, frozen, and controlled perspective.
Its agents inherently exclude the existence of entropy, chance, or the shaping impact of marginal events, considering that everything tends to be planned and monitored just like in Moscow or Beijing.
Moreover, the Kremlin also demonstrates a poor understanding of the American political system, especially by being willing to see in Donald Trump a kind of dictator similar to Putin, who has no responsibility towards Congress, his own government, or those who elected him.
A military-style education, closed and aimed at obtaining blind obedience to authority, inherently excludes any preparation for the unforeseen social and political events in open liberal systems.
Therefore, an FSB agent, for example, cannot see Trump differently from Putin, and when the former fails, they cannot explain it away with a conspiracy of a larger and more powerful entity.
EXTRACTION. Nicolas Maduro, former president of Venezuela, detained by American military forces on a plane bound for the US - Photo: Donald Trump/ X Twitter
In conclusion, at least for now, after the deep silence that engulfed the pro-Russian camp, it can be said that Vladimir Putin has been hit hard by Trump's move in Venezuela.
This blow was shocking for him from at least two perspectives, one political - he did not expect Trump, after their long discussions, to launch such an operation, arresting Maduro, even though he had information that the US would intervene in Venezuela. And secondly, he was most likely shocked by the speed, precision, and force with which the intervention was carried out, once again showing him (if he needed reminding) who possesses the most powerful military in the world and how weak Russia has become.