Pentagon chief dismisses Russian assurances on Venezuela

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan dismissed Russian assurances on Thursday that its troops in Venezuela posed no security threat, saying: “I’m not sure I always believe what they say.” Russia said earlier in the day it had sent “specialists” to Venezuela under a military cooperation deal but said they posed no threat to regional stability, brushing aside a call from U.S. President Donald Trump to remove all military personnel from the country. More…