▲ Venezuelan President Maduro (right) and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Borisov met in Venezuela


Russia's Central and South American allies, such as Venezuela and Cuba, have stepped up to defend Russia one after another during the Ukraine crisis.



Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said during a cabinet meeting on the 22nd local time that NATO is aiming weapons at Russia and is trying to encircle Russia in order to attack and destroy it at the right time.



"Does the world want President Putin to do nothing to protect his people?" he asked. "So Venezuela is expressing its full support for Putin."



Cuba's foreign ministry also issued a statement on the night of the 22nd, blaming the United States primarily for responsibility for the incident.



Cuba said in a statement that "the US government has been manipulating the international community over the past few weeks to threaten Russia and threaten an 'imminent large-scale invasion of Ukraine'."



Cuba urged the United States and NATO to "take a serious and realistic response to Russia's justifiable security guarantees" and emphasized the need for "a diplomatic solution through constructive and mutually respectful dialogue."



(Photo = Reuters, Yonhap News)