Russia confirms its military personnel are in Venezuela

28 MAR 19 08:31 ET

By Nathan Hodge and Anna-Maja Rappard, CNN

(CNN) — Russia acknowledged Thursday that it has military personnel in Venezuela, which is facing political turmoil and a humanitarian crisis, saying the deployment is legal and does not alter the delicate balance of power in the region.

In a briefing Thursday in Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said “Russian specialists” were on Venezuelan soil but declared their deployment to be “in accordance with the provisions of the bilateral intergovernmental agreement on military-technical cooperation” between Moscow and Caracas.

Moscow has continued to back embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, while Washington and more than 50 other countries recognize Juan Guaido, the president of the country’s National Assembly, as the Venezuela’s interim president.

Zakharova provided few specifics about the activity of the personnel but said their presence “doesn’t violate international law, doesn’t change the balance of forces in the region.”

She added that Russia had delivered a shipment of humanitarian aid at the request of the Venezuelan government.

The revelation comes a day after President Donald Trump urged Moscow to “get out” of Venezuela following reports that Russian planes were arriving in the country.

During an Oval Office meeting Wednesday with Guaido’s wife, Fabiana Rosales, Trump was asked whether Russia’s involvement complicates the situation in Venezuela. Questioned if Russia doesn’t leave Venezuela, Trump said: “We’ll see. We’ll see. All options are open. … All options are open.”

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also called on Russia “to cease its unconstructive behavior” through its reported insertion of a contingent of Russian military personnel in Venezuela, according to a State Department readout of a telephone conversation between Pompeo and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment Tuesday on Pompeo’s remarks or on Russian military presence in Venezuela.