WASHINGTON, September 20. /TASS/. The United States finds cooperation between Moscow and Managua alarming, Juan Gonzalez, Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere at the White House’s National Security Council (NSC), said on Monday.

"I think, frankly, I'm more concerned about Russia and Nicaragua at this particular moment than I am about Venezuela and Cuba," the NSC official said. According to him, the Cubans know that "there is a bit of line" with the US, and Venezuela ultimately wants the US to alleviate the sanctions pressure. "They know that becoming a, you know, a military silo base for Russia would be something that would undermine their economic interest," he said, referring to Venezuela.

Commenting on Nicaragua, he said "the gloves are off." Gonzalez said even the left forces did not support the country’s president Daniel Ortega. "The role of Russia and the activities of Russia and Nicaragua, for me, are alarming," he reiterated at an event hosted by the Washington-based Institute of Peace. However, he said, Russia does not currently have the capability to build deep relations in the sphere of defense in Latin America.

It requires "stability and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere" for the United States to be a global power, Gonzalez said. He also warned that Washington was not going to shoulder the burden of addressing illegal migration from Central America to the United States. "The US can’t fix these countries," the White House official said.

In addition, he acknowledged that Washington was concerned about "a non-aligned movement trend on South America.".