Russia tells Trump its troops will stay in Venezuela for 'as long as needed'

Russia has said its troops will remain in Venezuela “for as long as needed” in a blunt rejection of Donald Trump’s demand they leave immediately. In the latest indication the crisis in Venezuela is taking on elements of a proxy battle between the former Cold War rivals, a spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry said the troops had been dispatched to fulfil “military contracts”. “They are involved in the implementation of agreements in the sphere of military and technical cooperation,” said Maria Zakharova, according to the AFP, adding that the troops would stay there “for as long as needed”.

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