A Venezuelan official has confirmed members of the Russian military have arrived in the South American nation, according to Reuters.

Venezuela’s military attache in Moscow confirmed the presence of members of the Russian military but said they would not take part in military operations, according to Reuters. A spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry said Russia had sent the planes at the request of the Venezuelan government to discuss military cooperation.

“The presence of Russian servicemen in Venezuela is linked to the discussion of cooperation in the military-technical sphere,” José Rafael Torrealba Pérez said, according to Reuters, quoting the Interfax news service.

The Russians' arrival was originally reported on Monday in a Reuters story that said Russian Air Force planes landed in Caracas carrying a Russian defense official and nearly 100 troops.

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President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE on Wednesday said Russia “has to get out” of Venezuela, while on Tuesday Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova defended the Russian presence and accused the U.S. of attempting to stage a coup in Venezuela.

Russia backs Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, while the U.S. has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Michael (Mike) Richard PompeoOvernight Defense: Pentagon redirects pandemic funding to defense contractors | US planning for full Afghanistan withdrawal by May | Anti-Trump GOP group puts ads in military papers Overnight Defense: House Democrats unveil stopgap spending measure to GOP opposition | Bill includes .6B for new subs | Trump issues Iran sanctions after world shrugs at US action at UN Navalny calls on Russia to return clothes he was wearing when he fell ill MORE has told Kremlin officials that Russian involvement in Venezuela "risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people who overwhelmingly support interim President Juan Guaido.”

Zakharova continued to defend the Russian presence at a Thursday news briefing, according to Reuters, saying “Russia is not threatening anyone, unlike citizens [officials] in Washington.”

“Russian specialists have arrived in Venezuela in line with the provisions of a bilateral inter-government agreement on military-technical cooperation,” Zakharova said, according to Reuters. “No one canceled this document.”