Russia raised its tone amid the crisis with Western countries over Ukraine on Thursday, when a diplomat refused to rule out sending Russian troops to Cuba and Venezuela if tensions with the United States continue to rise, according to with the Associated Press.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, said he could neither “confirm nor exclude” the possibility of sending Russian military equipment and troops to the two Latin American countries if pressure from Washington continues.
The United States, Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) this week participate in a series of talks on the crisis of concentration of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. The negotiations in Brussels between Russia and the US and a meeting between NATO and Russia did not make much progress.
In an interview with Russian television, Ryabkov said that “everything depends on the actions of our US counterparts”, stressing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning that Moscow could take military action if Washington provokes or increases pressure.
Last month, the diplomat compared Ukraine’s situation to the 1962 Missile Crisis, when the Soviet Union sent missiles to Cuba, escalating confrontation with the US and raising the risk of a nuclear conflict between the two superpowers.
Russia has already sent, in 2018 and on previous occasions, bombers with nuclear capabilities for joint maneuvers with Venezuela, in a show of support for dictator Nicolás Maduro.
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