Cuban Leader Rebuffs US Allegation of Military Role in Venezuela

"With nearly 800 bases and hundreds of thousands of troops around the world, US is accusing Cuba of having military personnel in Venezuela," Diaz-Canel said via Twitter.

The accusation makes "a mockery of the world" and is "an insult to two sovereign nations," said the president, Xinhua news agency reported.

Washington alleges that Havana has thousands of intelligence and security forces in Venezuela to shore up Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government, which Washington is openly seeking to oust from power.

On April 17, US President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a speech in Miami that Cuba had sent special troops to the border between Venezuela and Colombia, an accusation that was categorically denied by the island.

That same day, the White House announced a new round of punitive measures against Havana. Washington also announced a cap on remittances to the island and restrictions on non-family-related travel, a move that could affect American cruise companies and airlines that sail or fly to the island.

Currently around 20,000 Cubans, mostly doctors and healthcare workers, work in Venezuela as part of a cooperation agreement, which dates back to 2000.

US-Cuba ties have deteriorated under Trump, who has rolled back the detente initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama.

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