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Moscow slams US 'hysterics' over planes sent to Caracas
Moscow, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2018
The Kremlin on Tuesday slammed Washington's "undiplomatic" response to its deployment of two bomber planes to Venezuela for exercises.

Two Russian long-range strategic bombers landed in Venezuela on Monday for what the Venezuelan government said were air force exercises aimed at strengthening the defence of the leftist-ruled South American country.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Twitter condemned what he called "two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer".

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman told journalists that "this is of course highly undiplomatic of the secretary of state" and said his tweet was "unacceptable".

Answering the accusation of squandering funds, Peskov said "we don't agree with this, what's more it's probably not very appropriate for a country to make such statements when half its defence budget could feed the whole of Africa."

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attacked what she called US "hysteria" over the planes.

"Just two planes and the State Department gets hysterics. Colleagues: you shouldn't stress out so much," she wrote on Facebook.

Russia sent about 100 pilots and other personnel along with two Tupolev-160 bombers and two other aircraft to Caracas.

The commander of the Russian air force's long-range aircraft, General Sergei Kobylash, said the exercises "will help us understand better how Venezuela's pilots are organised and trained (and) share our experience with them."

Russia sent the planes following a visit to Moscow last week by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for talks with Putin, who expressed support for the beleaguered socialist government.


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