WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin did not discuss Putin’s recent conversation with Venezuel...
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin did not discuss Putin’s recent conversation with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing.
"He [Trump] has not spoken to President Putin today, and I understand that call (between Putin and Maduro - TASS) took place this morning. So the answer is no," she said in response to a related question.
When asked whether the conversation between the Russian and Venezuelan leaders had raised any worries within the Washington administration, Leavitt responded: "I don't think that would be concerning to the president at all."
Earlier, the Kremlin press service reported that Putin had held a phone call with Maduro and expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people. The Russian leader reaffirmed his support for the Venezuelan government's policy aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty amid growing external pressure.
Maduro has repeatedly warned that Venezuela is facing the most serious threat of a US invasion in the past 100 years, claiming that Washington seeks to gain control over the world’s largest proven oil reserves. The United States has leveled unsubstantiated accusations that the Venezuelan authorities are not doing enough to combat drug smuggling.
The US Navy has deployed a strike group led by the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean Sea. Since September, US forces have sunk at least 20 speedboats in the region, causing nearly 90 fatalities.
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