RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VENEZUELA: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [6-12-19] renewed his assertion that Russia had pulled personnel out of Venezuela, pushing back on Moscow’s denials that it had any plans to do so. Trump last week tweeted that Russia ‘has informed us that they have removed most of their people from Venezuela,’ where it’s backed the government of dictator Nicolas Maduro. A day later, the Kremlin denied Trump’s tweet, telling reporters ‘there have been no official messages in this regard from the Russian side nor could there be any,’ according to The Washington Post. But Trump on Wednesday asserted he was not mistaken…After a pause, during which another reporter began asking a new question, Trump interrupted: ‘Ultimately I’m always right’…The Trump administration has repeatedly warned that use of military force to oust Maduro was never off the table, and despite appearing close to a military conflict at times, the White House has battled Moscow in a war of words over its involvement in the country. The White House has accused Russia of using Cuban forces as a front there in order to bolster their foothold in the Western Hemisphere, something Russia has also denied.”
–Caitlin Oprysko, “Trump on Russia dispute: ‘Ultimately I’m always right’,” Politico, June 12, 2019 2:03 pm