Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the idea of any intervention, including military, in the Venezuela crisis, saying that the situation in the country must be resolved through peaceful means.
“We are united in the need to overcome the existing disagreements in the country by peaceful means through a nationwide dialogue as soon as possible, without any external pressure, not to mention the unacceptability of the threats of military intervention in the internal affairs of this country,” Lavrov stated.
The minister added that most Latin American states also condemn the possibility of such actions.
The statement came after a meeting of Lavrov with his Bolivian counterpart Fernando Huanacuni Mamani on Wednesday.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of a “military option” to resolve the crisis.
“Venezuela is a mess. It is very dangerous mess and a very sad situation,” the US leader said, as cited by AFP.
“The people are suffering and they are dying. We have many options for Venezuela including a possible military option if necessary,” Trump said.
Caracas condemned Trump’s statement, with Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez calling it “craziness.” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro also called for nationwide military exercises to fend off a possible “imperialist” invasion.
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Washington took a harsh stance against Maduro and other Venezuelan officials following last month’s Constituent Assembly elections, which are considered “illegitimate” by the US.
The US also added eight Venezuelan officials to the sanctions list, which had already included Maduro himself, banning American citizens from doing business with those blacklisted.