Russian Military Center in Venezuela and Trump’s Warning to Russia

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Russia is continuously confronting the United States in Venezuela as one of Russian largest state-run holding conglomerates opens a helicopter training center in an undisclosed location within the country. The U.S continues to threaten Moscow and called it to leave the socialist-led Latin American country while Washington and its allies seek regime change. On Monday, Rostec State Corporation issued a statement and said that a modern helicopter training center was opened under a contract between Moscow-based Rosoboronexport and Caracas’s state-run CAVIM firearms manufacturer. The center was inaugurated on Thursday and President Donald Trump warned at the same day that Russia has to get out of Venezuela and all options are open in ensuring it does.

The statement of Rostec pointed out that Venezuela has been Russia’s largest Latin American partner in the field of military-technical cooperation since 2005. The latest appearance of Russian military personnel there has outraged the U.S at the time when it was seeking to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in favor of opposition-controlled National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó. The U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated Trump’s threat. He informed reporters at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania that Russia should leave Venezuela. He earlier informed Harrisburg’s WHP 580 radio station that Maduro must also go and that’s our mission set. He also blamed the left-wing leader of causing a historic economic crisis exacerbated by mounting U.S sanctions.

The United States and Venezuela have been hostile since the election of Maduro’s predecessor, the late Hugo Chávez. He survived a 2002 coup attempt widely attributed to U.S officials, including Eliot Abrams, who currently serves as Trump’s special envoy for Venezuela. The Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza informed reporters that he met with Abrams for talks. But, the U.S official refused to negotiate with the Venezuelan government. Arreaza added, “When Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua or other Latin American countries want to establish economic relations with Russia, Turkey, China and India, Washington doesn’t permit other potential powers in its Americas”.