Nicolas Maduro

Russia has backed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro against U.S. attempts to oust the socialist leader.

The latest sweeping U.S. sanctions on Venezuela target Chinese and Russian businesses, but Beijing and Moscow argued they would continue supporting the socialist leader opposed by Washington.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said America's efforts "to topple the legitimate government" were in breach of international law.

Pompeo's latest attack came as the Russian military vowed to continue supporting President Nicolas Maduro's forces.

Vladimir Padrino Lopez refused to back the uprising and has remained loyal to President Nicolas Maduro.

The number of Venezuelan refugees represents around 12.5 percent of the national population and is double the size of the population of Caracas.

The director of the foreign ministry's Latin American department said Russian specialists would be sent to Venezuela if requested.

The president is reportedly frustrated with national security adviser John Bolton's overconfidence about toppling Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro.

The Venezuelan opposition leader said he was focused on a "peaceful transition" but did not rule out foreign military intervention to oust President Nicolás Maduro.

"Tell the Bolivarian government and Nicolas Maduro what is necessary to be changed," the Venezuelan leader said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested that President Nicolás Maduro was ready to flee the country following the attempted coup.

"Are we gonna be a hemisphere dominated by China, Russia and dictators?" GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger asked. "Or are we going to be a hemisphere dominated by freedom and democracy?"

"You have seen the Maduros around the world who just cling to their power, no matter how they treated their own people. And it's just time for him to go," said Kellyanne Conway.

Juan Guaidó, Venezuela's self-declared interim president, released a video from an air base near Caracas calling on Venezuelans to help topple President Nicolás Maduro.

Sources with knowledge of the plan say Blackwater's Erik Prince wants to send up to 5,000 Spanish-speaking troops into Venezuela.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the new measures are illegal.

The group of 12 politicians asked Donald Trump to use Washington's influence within the Organization of American States to prevent Bolivian President Evo Morales from running for another term.

The presence of Russian, Chinese and Iranian planes in Venezuela has outraged the U.S at a time when it was looking to unseat the socialist-led Latin American country's leader.

The vice president said that President Donald Trump is considering "a broad range of options."

The U.S. suspects that Russia sent specialists to help prepare the S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system for combat.

Russian troops will remain in the country "as long as they need it, and as long as the Venezuelan government needs them," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters.

"I got involved in politics because I want to change my country," Rosales said previously.

Two Russian air force planes landed near the capital city of Caracas with about 100 soldiers aboard, and U.S. officials believe the group included cybersecurity experts.

"The purpose of these sanctions is to continue to deprive the illegitimate Maduro regime of access to funds and deny their ability to continue stealing from the Venezuelan people," the report said.

Senator Marco Rubio denied being behind the massive blackout in Venezuela, where President Nicolás Maduro vowed to defeat "American imperialism" trying to overthrow him.

The outage is reportedly affecting the capital Caracas and 15 of the nation's 23 states.

"There should be no Democrats on the fence on this issue," Fox News Business host Trish Regan argued.

"We had to be in lines every day, and there was less and less food until there was nothing," said Venezuelan Ana Carina Palacio, who entered legally into Colombia in 2018 with her young son.

China said that "the Venezuelan government has maintained calmness and restraint and has spared no effort to maintain domestic peace and stability and to effectively avoid large-scale bloody conflicts."

Florida Senator Marco Rubio said Venezuela's opposition members "really have no alternative" as they attempt to defy President Nicolás Maduro's border blockade.