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Brazil’s Bolsonaro opens doors to hosting US military base

Brazil's new president would consider putting U.S. military base in the country

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro holds a ceremony to present his cabinet members at the presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro holds a ceremony to present his cabinet members at the presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)Read moreEraldo Peres / AP
    by Mauricio Savarese and Peter Prengaman, Associated Press, AP_pmn_1
    Published 

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil is open to hosting a U.S. military base to counter Russian influence in the region, the South American country's new far-right president said.

Jair Bolsonaro, who took office on Tuesday, is a fan of U.S. President Donald Trump and a fierce critic of Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

In the interview to the SBT network Thursday night, Bolsonaro said he is worried about Russia's closeness with Venezuela. In December, the two countries held a joint training mission in Venezuela that was criticized by U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"My approximation with the United States is economic, but it could also be warlike," said Bolsonaro, adding the base would be "symbolic" since American military power can reach any part of the globe.

"Depending on what might happen in the world, who knows if we might have to talk about it (a U.S. base) in the future," the former Brazilian army captain said.

The possibility of a U.S. base in Brazil was not openly discussed during Pompeo's recent visit to Brasilia.

Maduro has accused Trump of plotting to remove him. Bolsonaro calls Maduro a "dictator."

In the same interview, Bolsonaro praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Hungarian colleague Viktor Orban. Both attended his inauguration in Brazil's capital.

Bolsonaro reiterated his decision to move Brazil's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but did not offer a timeline.

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Peter Prengaman reported from Rio de Janeiro.