Russia has scoffed at the U. Venezuela, saying that their presence in russian foreign ministry statement country is fully legitimate.

Venezuelan constitution and a bilateral agreement on military cooperation. She said that it doesn’t require any approval by Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly. Zakharova did not say how many Russia military experts have gone to Venezuela, but news reports indicated that two Russian planes delivered about 100 servicemen and 35 tons of cargo to Venezuela over the weekend. On Wednesday, Zakharova lashed out at the U. Russia to withdraw its military personnel, saying that U. President Donald Trump should first honor his own pledge last fall to withdraw U. It acts on the international arena more like a cowboy in the Louvre Museum.

Juan Guaido and recognized him as interim president, asserting that Maduro’s re-election last year was illegitimate. Russia and China, which invested heavily in Venezuelan oil industries, have staunchly backed Maduro. The rift over Venezuela has further strained Russia-U. Cold War lows over the conflict in Ukraine, the war in Syria and Russian meddling in the 2016 U. Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.