Trump and Putin discussed humanitarian aid for Venezuela

(Patria) – US President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he discussed humanitarian aid for Venezuela with Russian President Vladimir Putin, agencies report.

The phone call between the two leaders, which lasted just over an hour, was their first communication since December and since tensions rose in Venezuela.

Washington supports opposition leader Juan Guaidó, while Moscow supports the still-incumbent president Nicolás Maduro.

'Putin is not trying to get involved in the Venezuelan crisis issue, he just wants to see a positive development,' Trump commented on the conversation between the two leaders. 'We want to deliver some humanitarian aid – people are starving there, they have no food, no water,' the US president explained.

Trump's closest advisors have expressed displeasure with Russia's presence in the region and have blamed Putin for Maduro still being in power. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Maduro was ready to leave the country on Tuesday but changed his plans after Russia intervened. Russia has denied these accusations, Reuters reports.

The US, like most other Western countries, supports Guaidó, who declared himself interim president in January, stating that Maduro's 2018 re-election was 'illegitimate'.

Russia, on the other hand, supports Maduro, who considers Guaidó a 'puppet of Washington'.

Mike Pompeo will meet with Sergey Lavrov on Monday, on the sidelines of the Arctic Council meeting in Finland. Venezuela is expected to be one of the topics.

Venezuela is experiencing a large-scale economic recession, hyperinflation, and consequently a shortage of food and medicine.

The US has sent hundreds of tons of food and medicine for Venezuela to neighboring Colombia and Brazil, but approval for delivery has not yet been granted.

President Trump has repeatedly made it clear that he does not rule out the possibility of military intervention, although he has emphasized that he hopes for a peaceful transition of power.

The US has imposed sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector, which is crucial for the country, in order to block this revenue stream for Maduro, and is considering new sanctions, writes Reuters.