That Russia chooses brutal murderous communist totalitarians in Venezuela and Cuba as it’s “friends” tells all one needs to know about the true colors of Putin and his commie cronies.
Kinda like America was friends with Mexico before the Mexican war and Texican War of Independence, and "friends" thereafter.
Or America was friends with Spain and Cuba before the Spanish American War (courtesy W.R. Hearst), and "friends" with Spain and Cuba thereafter.
Or America America was friends with Germany (and hosted many German-American Bunds) before WWI.
Or America was "friends" with Japan while they ravaged Free China and Free Korea before the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, WWII and friends thereafter.
Or America was friends with Russia and the Soviet Union (according to Walter Duranty and The New York Times), until Russia was no longer necessary to win WWII over our friends Japan and Germany.
Yep, they say you can learn a lot about a nation by the friends they keep.
And it ain't necessarily true.
“..Yep, they say you can learn a lot about a nation by the friends they keep....”
Nations have no “friends” just a commonality of “interests” that brings them together. Those “interests” change due to changing international circumstances. That “togetherness’ may or may not last with those changed “circumstances”.
Your list illustrated that well !