Govt. on alert after Russian bomber aircraft land in Venezuela - Foreign Affairs Ministry

Govt. on alert after Russian bomber aircraft land in Venezuela – Foreign Affairs Ministry

Dec 13, 2018 News

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is on the alert, after it received reports that the Russian Federation deployed two strategic bombers in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, on Monday last.
A release from Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, follows the deployment of the planes. It states, “Guyana is fully committed to the rule of international law, including the peaceful resolution of disputes,” and that the government is open to meaningful cooperation with Venezuela.
Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said that the planes were part of air force exercises with its Russian allies: “This, we are going to do with our friends, because we have friends in the world who defend respectful, balanced relations,” BBC reported.
Though military exercises are regular and are not inherently indicative of a threat, the Ministry is currently monitoring all developments related to the deployment of the bombers.
The planes in question are TU-160 Supersonic Bombers. The TU-160 is the largest and heaviest combat aircraft, and the fastest bomber now in use.
The Tu-160 can carry nuclear and conventional weapons including long-range nuclear missiles. The Tu-160 can climb at a rate of 70m per second. The maximum and cruise speeds of the bomber are 2,220km per hour and 960km per hour, respectively. The range of the aircraft is 12,300km. Its combat radius is 7,300km.
Only 36 of its kind were ever made, nine of those, being prototypes.
The Tu-160 planes have only ever been used by the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Soviet Air Forces and Ukrainian Air Force.
According to BBC, the two Tu-160 bombers landed in Venezuela on Monday last in a Russian show of support for the government of socialist President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela and Russia have long been close allies, and the Russian bombers – as well as a missile cruiser – were sent to the Latin American country in 2008.
The supersonic bombers also visited Venezuela in 2013.
The latest visit comes just days after President Maduro met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Russian and US officials have been involved in a spat over the landing in Venezuela of the two Russian bombers.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it amounted to “two corrupt governments squandering public funds”.
The Russian government called his words “completely inappropriate”.
Guyana’s diplomatic relationship with Russia has been cordial since December 17, 1970.

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