Russian Foreign Ministry to Meet US Secretary of State in Finland on Monday

The meeting of the Russian and US Foreign ministers may overshadow the discussion of the Arctic challenges.

On Sunday, at the talks with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza in Moscow Lavrov said that the contacts with Pompeo are scheduled for Monday, May 6, TASS news agency reported.

Lavrov and Pompeo are expected to continue discussing the issues Russian and American Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump touched upon in a telephone conversation on May 3.

According to the Kremlin press service, last Friday, the leaders of the two countries discussed the results of the meeting between the Russian President and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the presidential elections in Ukraine and the situation in Venezuela.

The attempted coup d'etat in Venezuela is the most pressing issue on the agenda of the talks between Lavrov and Pompeo.

On May 1, at the initiative of Washington, Lavrov and Pompeo had a telephone conversation. The Russian minister stressed that it was not Russia but the US that intervenes in the situation in Venezuela. Later, in a conversation with journalists, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Washington’s allegations about Russia's intervention were "to say the least, not true".

On Sunday, at the meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart, Lavrov said that Russia continues to support the legitimate authorities of the country, headed by President Nicolas Maduro, and will assist them in a format that is acceptable to Caracas. He pointed out that the position of the leader of the Venezuelan opposition Juan Guaido is dictated from Washington, and the United States has not abandoned plans for an intervention in Venezuela.

However, the minister added, the American President Trump did not mention such intentions in a telephone conversation with Putin. After the meeting with Lavrov, Arreaza reiterated the government’s intention to settle the confrontation with the opposition through political dialogue and expressed hope for the support of the international community in this task.

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