Russia defends troops in Venezuela

Russia on Tuesday defended its decision to deploy military personnel to Venezuela last week in a move that drew criticism from the US-backed opposition. Moscow is "developing cooperation with Venezuela in strict accordance with the constitution of that country and with full respect for its legal norms," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "The presence of Russian specialists on Venezuelan territory is regulated by an agreement between the Russian and Venezuelan governments on military and technical cooperation that was signed in May 2001." More…