And they already have a working relationship on five joint Rosneft/PDVSA projects that collectively produced 59 billion barrels of oil in 2017. Rosneft is already in deep with PDVSA, and it cannot afford to have PDVSA or Venezuela fall apart. Not to mention that Russia's propping up of PDVSA--at a time when the United States is trying to economically squeeze Venezuela so hard it forces a regime change--is tantamount to Russia flipping the United States the bird--no doubt in retaliation for US sanctions on Russia over that whole Crimea business.