NOVANEWS
After Pompeo Meeting, Russia’s Lavrov Says US Military Action in Venezuela Would Be ‘Catastrophic
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shakes hands with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as they meet on the sidelines of the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Rovaniemi. | Photo: Reuters
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made teh comments after hold a rare face-to-face meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Finland.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo in Finland Monday after which he warned that U.S. military intervention in Venezuela would be catastrophic and unjustified.
The two men met on the sidelines of a meeting of the Arctic Council in Finland.
Lavrov told reporters his meeting had been constructive and that the two top diplomats had made decent progress when it came to discussing strategic nuclear stability.
Lavrov also said he was sure that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump would have another chance to meet again after their summit in Helsinki last year.
“We strongly oppose military actions wherever they violate international law, the use of force can be authorized only by the U.N. Security Council or the force can be used in response to an aggression against a sovereign state, nothing similar is Watch in Venezuela,” Lavrov told reporters.
“We reviewed several regional situations that are on the current agenda, international relations in general, and we discussed issues related to strategic stability,.”
In reference to the situation in Venezuela, Lavrov stressed that “among my contacts with American, European and Latin American colleagues I do not see supporters of a reckless military solution .”
He added that he hopes that this understanding “becomes a practical policy, and that there is no military solution, because it would be catastrophic.”
The U.S. secretary of state said that the two had discussed Venezuela and that Washington wants Cuba, Iran and Russia out of the OPEC nation.
He added that the United States has seen activity from Iran that indicated a possible “escalation,” one day after the United States said it would send a carrier strike group to the Middle East to counter a “credible threat by Iranian regime forces.”
The two men met on the sidelines of a meeting of the Arctic Council in Finland.
Lavrov told reporters his meeting had been constructive and that the two top diplomats had made decent progress when it came to discussing strategic nuclear stability.
Lavrov also said he was sure that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump would have another chance to meet again after their summit in Helsinki last year.
“We strongly oppose military actions wherever they violate international law, the use of force can be authorized only by the U.N. Security Council or the force can be used in response to an aggression against a sovereign state, nothing similar is Watch in Venezuela,” Lavrov told reporters.
“We reviewed several regional situations that are on the current agenda, international relations in general, and we discussed issues related to strategic stability,.”
In reference to the situation in Venezuela, Lavrov stressed that “among my contacts with American, European and Latin American colleagues I do not see supporters of a reckless military solution .”
He added that he hopes that this understanding “becomes a practical policy, and that there is no military solution, because it would be catastrophic.”
The U.S. secretary of state said that the two had discussed Venezuela and that Washington wants Cuba, Iran and Russia out of the OPEC nation.
He added that the United States has seen activity from Iran that indicated a possible “escalation,” one day after the United States said it would send a carrier strike group to the Middle East to counter a “credible threat by Iranian regime forces.”
