Amid high tension, Venezuelan Foreign Minister says Russia may widen military presence in Venezuela

Moscow/Caracas – Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza claimed that Venezuela was prepared for any eventuality and if the need arises, Russia was ready to send additional forces to the country. Earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had said that the United States was preparing to attack Venezuela and had instructed the military to be in a state of readiness to retaliate against the aggression on the fatherland with weapons at hand. Given the background, Foreign Minister Arreaza’s statements gain much significance.

In the last few days, the United States is consistently warning of military intervention in Venezuela. US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido had appealed to the military to stop supporting Maduro but it did not receive the expected response. Therefore, it is apparent that the United States is left with the only alternative of military intervention and the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo stated that the United States was prepared for it as well.

Also, Russia, China and Cuba have geared up for the US action and have warned that the US would have to pay a heavy price for military intervention in Venezuela. Considering the situation, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister appears to have visited Russia and demanded additional assistance.

Foreign Minister Arreaza met with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. In a statement after the visit, Russia and Venezuela announced that they had agreed to enhance the military cooperation between them. Simultaneously, Russia has already deployed a unit of ground forces in Venezuela and would deploy more assistance if found necessary, Arreaza said.

A few months ago, an advanced Russian bomber had reportedly visited Venezuela. After that, reports on Venezuela having given an island to Russia to build a military base had surfaced. What’s more, is that a senior US congressman had alleged that Russia had deployed nuclear weapons in Venezuela. Venezuela is, therefore, most likely to turn into a new battlefield for the United States and Russia.

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