Russia stresses opposition to military action against VZ

Moscow opposes a military solution to the Venezuelan crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday, following talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the Finnish city of Rovaniemi.

"We are categorically against a military action in violation of international law anywhere. The use of force can only be authorized by the UN Security Council, or it can be used in response to aggression against a sovereign state," Lavrov told reporters.

"In Venezuela, nothing like this is observed in any variants. From my contacts with U.S., European and Latin American counterparts, I do not see supporters of a reckless military solution," he said, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry press release.

Lavrov said he hopes that this understanding, shared by everyone including U.S. diplomats, will be turned into a practical policy as a military action will be "catastrophic."

According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump have agreed to meet again when they have such an opportunity.

As for his meeting with Pompeo, Lavrov called it "very good, constructive."

Lavrov said he and Pompeo discussed strategic stability as well as issues on the current agenda of the UN and in general concerning international relations.