A Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic long-range heavy supersonic bomber aircraft is pictured upon landing at Maiquetia International Airport, just north of Caracas, on December 10, 2018. (AFP PHOTO)
MOSCOW, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Statements by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Twitter about the landing of Russian strategic bombers in Venezuela are unacceptable and unprofessional, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
"What has been said by the U.S. secretary of state is unacceptable, not to mention that it is completely unprofessional," the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, a group of four Russian military aircraft, namely two Tu-160 strategic bombers, a heavy An-124 military transport aircraft and an Il-62 long-range aircraft of the Russian aerospace forces, landed in Venezuela.
Pompeo tweeted that the sending of the aircraft is "two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer."
The foreign ministry also slammed Washington for squandering money on Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and other places, saying the effectiveness of the implementation of the "colossal U.S. military budget" is quite doubtful.
"Before counting money in someone else's pocket, Washington should pay attention to how its own money is spent," it said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier also blasted Pompeo's remarks as "undiplomatic and inappropriate."
On Wednesday, Russian and Venezuelan defense ministers met in Moscow and discussed bilateral military technical cooperation, during which the Russian side said it expected the practice of flights of Russian military aircraft to Venezuela's airfields would continue.
