Russia said 'it would be nice to know' what U.S. military advisers were doing in Colombia and why President Donald Trump wants Venezuela's other neighbor, Brazil, to join NATO.
Russia has defended its military presence in Venezuela amid warnings from the United States, whose plans for regime change Moscow claims have been thwarted.
The remarks came days after President Donald Trump warned that"all options are open" in ensuring that Russia withdraws from the socialist-led Latin American state and just one day after Elliot Abrams, Washington's envoy to Venezuela, asserted that"the Russians will pay a price" for reportedly helping the South American country prepare the S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system for combat.
Russia has previously sent military personnel and equipment to Venezuela, most notably in December, when the two conducted joint air drills over the Caribbean in a sign of solidarity against U.S. sanctions and threats of intervention. A month later, as the country's economic and political situation worsened amid historic levels of hyperinflation and mass opposition protests, National Assembly leader Guaidó declared himself head of state in a challenge swiftly backed by the U.S.
"It would be nice to find out what numerous American military instructors are doing in neighboring Colombia with Venezuela? And why did the White House suddenly start calling on its other neighbor, Brazil, to join NATO, contrary to the charter and even to the name of the North Atlantic bloc?" Zakharova asked Saturday.
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