1. China
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned against the United States and European economic sanctions that would affect China’s interest with Russia. The Chinese government has called for the battling parties to restrain themselves but has refused to criticize the Russian military for their operations in Ukraine. China has refused to call the attack an “invasion” sticking with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “peacekeeping operations” narrative, while also trying to balance its relationship with the EU and Russia calling for de-escalation between the Russian and Ukrainian forces and possible diplomatic negotiations between both governments. The Chinese government has blamed the U.S. for fanning the flames of war against Russia and blaming NATO for expanding eastward toward Russia.
2. Iran
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollanian blamed the U.S. and NATO for provocations against Russia. In a recent statement, Iran’s foreign minister called on both sides to create a ceasefire and find a political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict. Both Iran and Russia share a border and see each other as mutual neighbors against "Western aggression." At the start of the invasion, Iranian-backed terrorist groups like the Houthis in Yemen have supported Putin’s recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk areas as independent republics. Russia has also been a critical player in reestablishing the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, hoping to ease sanctions to gain Iranian oil exports. In past years, Putin has sold weapons to the Islamic Republic and has helped the government evade U.S. and European economic sanctions.
3. Syria
The Bashar Al-Assad Syrian government was one of the fastest to acknowledge Putin’s recognition of the Luhansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic as two independent states. Syria's statement is not the first time Assad supported Russian annexation. In 2008 when Putin recognized the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions as separate after the war between Russia and Georgia, Assad quickly proclaimed the two areas as independent states. The Syrian dictator has been a close ally to Moscow ever since Russia launched a military campaign in 2015 to help the regime against Syrian rebels. So long as Syria receives its large bulk of support from Moscow, experts expect Assad to continue its unequivocal support for Putin.
4. North Korea
North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un stated that he supported Putin’s military actions against Ukraine while offering to settle the dispute with diplomatic negotiations between Russia, America, and Europe. North Korea is the second communist country to support Russia after China, revealing how international communist solidarity exists even though Russia is no longer a Communist state. Russia and its ally China joined together to block U.S. sanctions on North Korea after launching several missile tests in 2017. Before, during, and after the Cold War, the North Korean government owed its success to the Kremlin and still does today through economic and military means. According to U.S. and European officials, North Korean diplomats met Russian diplomats to discuss strategic cooperation before Russia invaded Ukraine.
5. Venezuela
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expressed support for Vladimir Putin's actions against Ukraine. President Nicolas Maduro supported Putin's narrative of “peacekeeping operations'' and that the Russian army was well within its rights to do so. Diosdado Cabello, vice president of the Venezuelan Socialist Party, stated that Russia has every right to defend itself and its territories from Western forces. Some analysts have pointed out that it is no surprise that the Venezuelan Socialist party and government are supporting the once former Communist country. The Venezuelan government believes that Russia will come on top of Ukraine and its Western-backed
allies but argue that the Venezuelan government stands ready to solve the Ukrainian conflict through diplomatic negotiations. Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader, stated that he supported the Ukraine government and condemned Putin’s recognition of the Luhansk and Donetsk as two independent states.
