Moscow and Washington spar over Russian nuclear-capable bombers in Caracas
Two Russian strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons have landed in Venezuela, in a show of support which has infuriated Washington.
General Vladimir Padrino, the Venezuelan defence minister, welcomed about 100 Russian pilots and other personnel after the two TU-160s and two other aircraft landed at the international airport that serves Caracas on Monday.
He said the deployment showed "we also are preparing to defend Venezuela to the last inch when necessary."
Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, has frequently warned that the US is planning an invasion.
Besides the two bombers, the deployment included an An-124 transport plane and an Il-62 passenger plane, according to a Russian military announcement in Moscow.
Mr Padrino noted that Russian aircraft had visited before in 2013, but said their current deployment was part of a "new experience," and was designed to "raise the level of interoperability of the aerospace defense systems" of both countries.
The planes' arrival came after Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, travelled to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader.
Mr Maduro has found himself increasingly isolated, as President Donald Trump takes an increasingly aggressive stance against his regime. With many of his closest allies under sanctions and financial transactions blocked, Mr Maduro has cultivated friendships with America's adversaries - notably Russia, China and Iran.
Mr Maduro said the talks with Mr Putin in Moscow this month yielded Russian investment in the South American country's oil and gold sectors.
It was not clear how long the planes, which arrived on Monday, would stay in Venezuela, nor what their mission would be.
Capable of carrying short-range nuclear missiles, the planes can fly over 7,500 miles without re-fuelling and have landed in Venezuela twice before in the last decade.
Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, reacted angrily to the deployment.
"Russia's government has sent bombers halfway around the world to Venezuela," he tweeted.
"The Russian and Venezuelan people should see this for what it is: two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer."
The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected Mr Pompeo's criticism, saying it was "highly undiplomatic" and "completely inappropriate."
"As for the idea that we are squandering money, we do not agree. It's not really appropriate for a country half of whose defence budget could feed the whole of Africa to be making such statements," said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin.
