Venezuela officials said that they would distribute the materials around the country. Nearly 2 million people in the country are suffering from malnutrition because of lack of food and medicine, the United Nations said.

The country has been suffering through a severe economic downturn for years, and refugees have fled in droves. As well, the nation's top two political leaders, President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido, both claim the presidency and both have political backers in the form of other world leaders. In recent weeks, troubles with the electric grid have caused blackouts, one of which lasted nearly a week.

Maduro had blocked entry of an earlier shipment of food and medicine because it was provided and supported by the United States. Army troops had blocked the country's borders with Brazil and Colombia, refusing to welcome trucks filled with food and medicine, instead setting some trucks on fire. Most of the trucks left the area, their aid undelivered.