Russia 'Closely Monitoring' Venezuela Crisis As US Builds Up 16,000 Troops Off Coast
Russia says it is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela at a moment of unprecedented build-up of military assets threatening the country which possesses the world's largest crude oil reserves.
Responding to a weekend Washington Post report saying that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has requested military assistance from Moscow, especially missiles and radars, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said simply: "We are closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela."
WaPo has indicated that the American military build-up in the southern Caribbean includes 10,000 soldiers and 6,000 sailors, making the total force posture a whopping 16,000 troops.