President Putin and Venezuelan President Maduro Speak by Phone

Jan. 22, 2022 (EIRNS)—On Jan. 20, one week after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Moscow could “neither confirm nor exclude” the possibility of sending military assets to Cuba or Venezuela in response to U.S. military pressure, President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination in international affairs in keeping with the principles of strategic partnership that underlie bilateral relations,” said the Kremlin readout, which otherwise was focused on trade and other bilateral matters.

According to AP, Maduro’s office in a statement said Putin “expressed all his multidimensional support and backing for the defense of the sovereignty and in pursuit of the development of” the South American country. “We exchanged on issues related to existing cooperation in various strategic areas at the highest level, a relationship that is strengthened by the unbreakable union of our peoples,” Maduro tweeted.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was vague when asked on Jan. 18 about the possibility of Russian missile deployment to Cuba and Venezuela. “Russia is thinking about how to ensure its security in the context of the current situation,” he said.