US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said that Russia had "intervened" in the Venezuelan affairs without the consent of the Venezuelan leadership and people
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th April, 2019) US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said that Russia had "intervened" in the Venezuelan affairs without the consent of the Venezuelan leadership and people.
"Russia intervened. They went against the leadership of the country of Venezuela. They intervened without authority. They don't have the consent of the Venezuelan people to be there," Pompeo told Mega tv.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the presence of Russian military experts in Venezuela was fully legitimate as they were carrying out maintenance of military equipment that had been supplied earlier.
In January, US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido illegally declared himself interim president of Venezuela after disputing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's reelection victory in May. Washington immediately endorsed Guaido and called on Maduro to step down.
Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a US puppet. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
