Russian Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov on Saturday condemned what he called America’s “flagrant interference” and “destructive influence” in Venezuela, in a telephone conversation with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo. “The provocation and external destructive influence, under the hypocritical pretext of humanitarian aid has nothing to do with the democratic process,” said Lavrov, in comments cited by his foreign ministry. The strong criticism came a day after the United States and Russia clashed over how to assist crisis-wracked Venezuela, with Moscow pledging new relief channelled through President Nicolas Maduro and Washington slapping on sanctions over the blocking of US aid.
