MOSCOW. March 1 (Interfax) -Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has thanked Caracas for supporting Moscow and criticized the United States during his visit to Venezuela.
"Russia is sincerely grateful to Venezuela for its support," Patrushev said at a meeting with Venezuelan National Security Defense Council Secretary-General Jose Ornelas Ferreira, as quoted by the Rossiyskaya Gazeta website on Wednesday.
Russia's partners have been experiencing pressure from the U.S., Patrushev said.
"They are dealing with unprecedented pressure from the United States, which is trying to make them sever any ties with Russia, no matter how close and advantageous they could be," he said.
"The methods never change: political pressure, military blackmail, financial slavery, economic sanctions and, of course, lying propaganda," Patrushev said.
Patrushev came to Venezuela on February 28 for bilateral security consultations between representatives of ministries and agencies of both countries, the press service for the Russian Security Council said.
Official reports said that Venezuela is a major operator of Russian weapons and military hardware in Latin America. Russia gave Venezuela a state loan for the procurement of military equipment.
Patrushev visited Algeria on February 27 to meet with the political and military leadership of the country.