Russia Alarmed by U.S. Plot to Topple Venezuela Leader

Date: 16 January 2019 - 21:22

News ID: ۶۲۱۱۱

MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday Moscow was alarmed by U.S. talk of some kind of possible military option for Venezuela and accused Washington of leaning on the opposition there to block talks with the government.
Lavrov, addressing his annual news conference, said the U.S. approach to Venezuela showed U.S. efforts to try to undermine governments around the world it didn’t like were continuing.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has indicated its support for an opposition leader, ratcheting up pressure on Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro as he embarks on a second term.
In 2017, Trump said he didn’t rule out a "military option” to put an end to what he regards as economic chaos in Venezuela, in comments that brought widespread condemnation.
The U.S. has also criticized Moscow for launching military flights to Venezuela, rebukes that the Kremlin has rejected.
Washington this weighed recognizing the leader of the opposition-run congress, Juan Guaido, as the country’s legitimate president, two people familiar with the matter said.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said the United States, which has already imposed sanctions on Maduro and a number of his top allies, backed the opposition’s action.
Over the weekend, Pompeo called Maduro’s government illegitimate and said the United States would work with like-minded countries in Latin America to restore "democracy” in Venezuela.
Brazil’s new far-right government joined the U.S. to recognize congress head Juan Guaido as the "rightful” president of Venezuela even though he has not run in or won any election while Maduro has.
The Western-backed congress is considering offering perks to military officers who disavow Maduro, according to four legislators and a draft document seen by Reuters last week.
Opposition leaders have faced significant hurdles in recruiting military dissidents due to Maduro’s continued popularity among the armed forces.
Opposition leaders have also publicly discussed creating a "transition” plan, as well as releasing military officers who are already in jail for conspiring against Maduro.
Venezuela is facing a massive inflation rate and a growing shortage of basic commodities such as foodstuff and medicine have reportedly forced an estimated 2.3 million citizens to leave the country since 2015 amid U.S. sanctions.
Maduro blames the economic crisis on the opposition and U.S. sanctions, saying Washington has imposed a full-scale economic war on the country to topple its government.