Russia tells Trump to keep his nose out of Venezuela: Putin spokesman says its military will ‘stay as long as it’s needed’ after US president called for Moscow to remove troops from the crisis-hit country

• Russia said Thursday its troops will stay in Venezuela ‘for as long as needed’ 
• It ignored a call from President Donald Trump to remove all military personnel
• Kremlin spokesman urged the US not to worry about its ties with a traditional ally
• Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan dismissed Russian assurances

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Russia has said its troops will stay in Venezuela ‘for as long as needed’, brushing aside a call from President Donald Trump to remove all military personnel from the strife-torn country.

Trump said yesterday that ‘all options’ were open to make Moscow remove its military presence in the Latin American country after two Russian air force planes landed outside Caracas on Saturday carrying nearly 100 soldiers.

Yet an aide for Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the US not to worry about Moscow’s ties with a traditional ally.

‘We don’t think that third countries should worry about our bilateral ties,’ said Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

‘We are not interfering in Venezuela’s domestic affairs in any way and we expect third countries to follow our example and allow Venezuelans to decide their fate themselves.’

However, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan dismissed Russian assurances on Thursday that its troops posed no security threat, saying: ‘I’m not sure I always believe what they say.’

Russia said Thursday its troops will stay in Venezuela ‘for as long as needed’ (Putin pictured on March 27)

It brushed aside a call from President Donald Trump to remove all military personnel from the strife-torn country (Trump at the White House on March 27)

Shanahan, speaking to a small group of reporters in Florida, did not elaborate on what he thought the Russian forces were doing in Venezuela.

Russia said it had sent ‘specialists’ to Venezuela under a military cooperation deal but said they posed no threat to regional stability and would not take part in military operations, Interfax news agency reported.

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‘The presence of Russian servicemen in Venezuela is linked to the discussion of cooperation in the military-technical sphere,’ Jose Rafael Torrealba Perez was quoted as saying.

Speaking at a weekly news briefing on Thursday, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the arrivals only as ‘Russian specialists’.

‘Russia is not changing the balance of power in the region, Russia is not threatening anyone, unlike (officials) in Washington,’ she said.

An aide for Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured during a state visit to Kyrgyzstan on Thursday) urged the US not to worry about Moscow’s ties with a traditional ally

Putin strokes a Taigan dog named Sherkhan presented to him by Kyrgyzstan’s President Sooronbay Jeenbekov in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Thursday 

Russia said it had sent ‘specialists’ to Venezuela under a military cooperation deal

Peskov said no one told the United States how to conduct its foreign policy and Moscow expected the same treatment and ‘mutual respect’.

He said the Kremlin was sending military equipment and experts to Venezuela under existing contracts for the supply of Russian arms. 

The United States and more than 50 other countries recognise Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president while Russia, along with China, backs Maduro.

In January, Guaido invoked the constitution to assume Venezuela’s interim presidency, arguing that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.

Maduro, who retains control of state functions and the country’s military, has said Guaido is a puppet of the United States.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country’s rightful interim ruler, greets supporters as he leaves after a meeting with political leaders in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday

Trump said Wednesday that ‘Russia has to get out’ of Venezuela as the US accused the Kremlin of adding to unrest in the Latin American county.  

The US has said that Russia’s military escalation is ‘unconstructive’ to a peaceful resolution to violent clashes between dictator Nicolas Maduro and opponents of his regime. 

And the president warned on Wednesday that the U.S. could reciprocate.

‘They’ve got a lot of pressure right now. They have no money, they have no oil, they have no nothing. They’ve got plenty of pressure right now, so we’ll see. 

‘They have no electricity. Other than military, you can’t get any more pressure than they have,’ he told reporters before reasserting that ‘all options are open’ when it comes to U.S. military involvement in the conflict.

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