“If Russia starts moving in this direction, we will act decisively in response,” TASS quoted him as saying.

Earlier, US national security adviser Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, said that Washington would respond decisively if Russia deployed its troops in Latin America.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, speaking about the possibility of deploying Russia's military infrastructure in Cuba and Venezuela, said he did not want to confirm or exclude anything.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov later commented on US statements about new Russian military bases in Latin America.