US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for an end to the conflict in Venezuela, calling it a "brutal repression" of the country's nationals.
The president stressed during a national day of prayer service at the White House that it "must end soon."
The US president's statement follows a report in the Washington Post published earlier in the day alleging that it was unlikely US President Donald Trump will start any long-term military intervention in Venezuela, while US National Security Adviser John Bolton was reportedly urging him to do so. At the same time, the newspaper's sources said that Trump had given Bolton wide authority over matters pertaining to the Venezuelan crisis.
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On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also addressed the issue of the Venezuelan crisis, saying that Russia would establish a group of nations to counteract a possible US military intervention in Venezuela, adding that such a group is already being formed in the United Nations.
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Earlier in the week, Bolton said that US military forces were "ready to go" into the Latin American country at a moment's notice.
Tensions in Venezuela have been high since January, when the country's opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself the interim president and was immediately supported by the United States and its allies. Nicolas Maduro, in turn, was backed by Russia and China, among other states, as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.