Russia signs deal to send its navy to Venezuela after "unacceptable" U.S. moves

The Russian military has signed a deal that would allow it to send military ships to Venezuela, expressing support for the Latin American country. The U.S. has been critical of current Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and has backed attempts to replace him.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino met Thursday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, with whom he "signed an agreement on the visits of warships to the ports of both states and discussed the situation in Venezuela, as well as issues of bilateral military and military-technical cooperation." The deal came as Caracas was in the throes of a months-long political crisis between Moscow-backed President Nicolás Maduro and Washington-backed National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó.

Following President Donald Trump's announcement last week of a near-total boycott of Maduro's administration, Padrino told Shoigu that Venezuela was "indeed currently going through a difficult situation, due to U.S. actions," calling it "absolutely insolent the way it violates international law."