Russia’s talk of troops in Latin America called ‘bluster’

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Russian diplomat has refused to rule out a Russian military deployment to Cuba and Venezuela if tensions with the United States over Ukraine and NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe mount. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in televised remarks on Thursday that he couldn’t confirm or exclude the possibility of Russia sending military assets to Latin America if the U.S. and its allies don’t curtail their activities on Russia’s doorstep. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan dismissed the statement as “bluster.” Russia held talks with the U.S. and NATO this week amid a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that the West fears might be a prelude to an invasion.