MOSCOW, ‌Dec 11 (Reuters) - Russian President ‍Vladimir ‌Putin spoke to Venezuelan President ⁠Nicolas Maduro ‌by phone on Thursday and reassured him of Moscow's ⁠support for his government's course in ​the face of growing ‌external pressure, the ⁠Kremlin said.

Maduro has been under pressure from U.S. ​President Donald Trump to leave office, with the United States conducting a huge ​military ‍build-up in ​the Caribbean.

The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin and Maduro had spoken of their desire to ⁠act on their strategic partnership agreement and ​implement various joint projects related to the economy and energy sector.

(Reporting ‌by Reuters Moscow buroWriting by Andrew OsbornEditing by Mark Trevelyan)