Lavrov to meet Venezuelan counterpart

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov will meet his Venezuelan counterpart Jorge Arreaza for talks on Sunday.

The two diplomats will discuss the situation in Venezuela in light of the attempt by the opposition led by Juan Guaido - whom more than 50 governments have recognized as the country's interim President - in urging the armed forces to turn their backs on embattled President Nicolas Maduro, Russia's TASS News agency reported.

Russia, one of Maduro's main backers, is against involvement in Venezuela's internal affairs, while the US has not ruled out military intervention.

Trump has long stated that "all options are on the table" when it comes to Venezuela, where Maduro is clinging to power despite street protests and withering US sanctions. 

But the US President's aides have appeared to lean further into military options in recent days as an uprising led by Guaido, whom the US recognizes as the country's legitimate President, failed to topple him.

Venezuela was one of the topics of conversation during a telephonic talk held between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on Friday.

According to the Kremlin, Putin told Trump that external interference and any attempts to forcefully change the power structure would go against a peaceful solution to the crisis gripping the Latin American country. IANS