Russian Official Threatens to Send Hypersonic Missile to Venezuela: ‘Americans May Be in for Some Surprises’
(Evan Vucci/AP photo)
Russia opened the door to sending hypersonic missiles to Venezuela with a defense official warning that Americans “may be in for some surprises.”
Alexei Zhuravlyov, Russia’s parliamentary defense committee’s deputy chairman, told Russian media that he sees “no obstacles” in providing Oreshnik or Kalibr missiles to Venezuela, a “friendly country” to Russia.
“I see no obstacles to supplying a friendly country with new developments such as the Oreshnik or, let’s say, the well-proven Kalibr missiles,” Zhuravlyov told Russian website Gazeta.Ru, according to The Telegraph.
According to the Kremlin, the Oreshnik missile can strike any target in Europe within an hour, and it can carry nuclear warheads.
The comment from Zhuravlyov comes amidst President Donald Trump’s continuing strikes on boats he claims are carrying drugs from Venezuela to the United States. The legality of these strikes has faced bipartisan pushback. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is one of the more vocal Republican critics, calling the strikes “insane” and uncivilized.
Trump has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of being the head of the alleged smuggling operation that U.S. forces are targeting. Maduro was sworn into office in January despite major questions about the legitimacy of his victory. His opposition reviewed tally sheets from 80% of voting machines and counted twice as many votes for Edmundo González than Maduro. The U.S.-based Carter Center confirmed that the tally was legitimate.
“Venezuela’s electoral process did not meet international standards of electoral integrity at any of its stages and violated numerous provisions of its own national laws,” the Center, which oversaw the election, said in a statement.
Maduro reportedly reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin for assistance amid the strikes in the Caribbean.
Maria Zakharov, spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, condemned the strikes on Saturday, calling them “excessive military force.”
Trump denied multiple reports last week suggesting a strike on Venezuelan land was imminent and could happen “at any moment.” According to the president, he has not made a final decision on expanding the strikes.
