Connecting with TVP World from Washington, D.C. for an exclusive interview, Former Interim President of Venezuela Juan Guaidó revealed that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been supporting Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela “first and foremost, for circumventing sanctions, for money laundering, for arms trade,” and adding that “we cannot live in South America with a dictatorship that actually used Russia to circumvent sanctions. We need to do something different. We need to make these dictatorships responsible.”

Guaidó went on to say that the relationship between Putin and Maduro “is used for arms trade on the entire continent. Maduro and Putin actually earn money. This is clear, based on how they circumvent the American and international sanctions. Gold, diamonds, uranium, it’s not only oil. These are some of the raw materials, not only oil, that are important for the regime.”

“Lukashenka and Maduro are allies after all. Their relationship is pretty close,” he said, adding that Venezuela’s economy “has been dependent on Russia for years and it’s becoming dependent on China. The economic approximation and normalization of relationships between Putin and Maduro have been going on for years.”

“Just like Putin has invaded Ukraine and Lukashenka is helping him, we need an opposite force, so the pro-democratic force to topple that power. Maduro, Ortega and others profit from these destabilizing forces. And these destabilizing forces reinforce each other in this sort of loop, so we need to counter them,” he said.

For years, life in Venezuela has been a struggle. Despite its massive oil reserves and other assets, the country’s economy has tumbled under the regime of Nicolas Maduro. The dictator also rigged the 2018 presidential elections and held onto power thanks to backing from Russia and China. Today, we talked to the man who challenged Maduro and fought to change his country’s future. Although the ensuing struggle proved more difficult than was expected, it continues on today.

To watch the interview, click the video above.