Russia and US in spat on bomber landings

The Kremlin has rejected US criticism of Russian strategic bombers’ deployment to Venezuela.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to Monday’s arrival of a pair of Tu-160 nuclearcapable bombers in Venezuela meant as a Russian show of support for the government of socialist president Nicolás Maduro.

Mr Pompeo tweeted “the Russian and Venezuelan people should see this for what it is – two corrupt governments squandering public funds and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Mr Pompeo’s comment as “inappropriate”.

He said such criticism sounded odd from a country “half of whose military budget would be enough to feed the whole of Africa”.

Russian-us ties have sunk to post-cold War lows over Ukraine, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election. Venezuela and Russia have long been close allies