Late Saturday, Russia’s foreign minister reportedly said to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Moscow is prepared to hold bilateral talks with the U.S. regarding the Venezuela crisis.
The Hill reported that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with Pompeo about Venezuela, where Moscow and Washington have supported opposite sides.
“In connection with Washington’s proposal to hold bilateral consultations on the Venezuelan topic, it was stated that Russia is ready to participate in this,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
According to The Hill, the ministry also added that Lavrov criticized the U.S. for its opposition to “the country’s lawful leadership,” a reference to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Washington and almost all of the western countries recognize national assembly leader Juan Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, putting additional pressure on Maduro to step aside amid an ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis in the country.
Maduro has held on to power and has blocked humanitarian aid from entering the country, further escalating tensions.
Meanwhile, the White House has imposed numerous sanctions on Venezuelan businesses and those close to Maduro in recent months, saying that Maduro’s recent re-election is illegitimate.
Lavrov and Pompeo also spoke about issues in Syria, Afghanistan and the Korean Peninsula. President Trump and Pompeo recently returned from a summit in Vietnam where they were unable to come to an agreement with Kim Jong Un to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
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