Russia rejects Trump's demand to remove military from Venezuela

World
Europe

Russia said on Thursday its troops will stay in Venezuela "for as long as needed", rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's demand that Russia remove its military from the South American country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry insisted the presence of its troops there did not pose a threat to anyone.

"They are involved in the implementation of agreements in the sphere of military and technical cooperation," said ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, adding they would remain in the country "for as long as needed."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores greet people as they attend a rally, organized by United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

"Russia is not changing the balance of power in the region, Russia is not threatening anyone unlike citizens in Washington whom I have just quoted," she told reporters.

She was referring to Trump's comments that "Russia has to get out" of Venezuela as well as to statements by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington does not plan to negotiate with Maduro and wants to end Russia and Cuba's influence on Caracas

"Neither Russia nor Venezuela are provinces of the United States," Zakharova said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Washington of trying to "organize a coup d'etat" in the oil-producing nation.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 27, 2019. /VCG Photo

Venezuela's military attache in Moscow also said Thursday that Russian troops were in the country under an agreement on military and technical cooperation and not to carry out a military operation.

A Russian air force Antonov-124 cargo plane and a smaller Ilyushin Il-62 landed at the main airport outside Caracas on Saturday and offloaded around 100 troops and tons of equipment.

"As for the presence of Russian specialists, we are talking about cooperation, military and technical cooperation," the attache, Jose Rafael Torrealba Perez, was quoted as saying in translated comments by RIA Novosti state news agency. "We are absolutely not talking about Russia's military presence to carry out military operations," he added.

Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez is expected to visit Moscow in April as part of the cooperation between the two countries, the attache said.

Source(s): Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency