WASHINGTON _ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the Russian foreign minister on Monday to tell him the United States won't "stand idly by" as Russia sends military forces to Venezuela.
Pompeo warned Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Russia was exacerbating tensions in Venezuela and undermining efforts to restore democracy in the South American nation, said Robert Palladino, a State Department spokesman.
"The continued insertion of Russian military personnel to support the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela risks prolonging the suffering of the Venezuelan people who overwhelmingly support interim President Juan Guaido," Palladino said.
