MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump and Putin discuss Guaidó/Maduro situation: “both leaders stand with the Venezuelan people”

“Very productive talk!” tweeted Trump after their conversation, which came three days after an abortive military attempt in support of Juan Guaido to oust Maduro

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday discussed the crisis in oil-rich Venezuela, where Washington has thrown its weight behind a campaign to oust the Moscow-backed socialist president.

“Very productive talk!” tweeted the US leader following their conversation, which came three days after an abortive military uprising in support of Juan Guaidó, the self-declared interim leader seeking to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

US-Russian tensions have spiked over the months-long standoff in Venezuela, where Moscow accuses the United States of fomenting a coup against Maduro.

Recognized by more than 50 countries as interim leader, Guaidó has urged his supporters to gather for a new day of peaceful demonstrations at military bases on Saturday in a fresh bid to rally the armed forces behind him.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Trump had made clear to Putin “that the United States stand with the people of Venezuela,” in talks that also touched on trade, North Korea, Ukraine and disarmament treaties.

The leaders also discussed Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia election meddling, she said, describing the talks - which lasted well over an hour - as “overall very positive.”

The Trump-Putin call followed a week of unrest in Venezuela where a military uprising in support of Guaidó fizzled out, triggering deadly street clashes.

The Kremlin stressed the call took place at Washington's initiative. According to a Russian statement, “Vladimir Putin stated that only the Venezuelan people have the right to decide the future of their country.”

“Interference in internal affairs, attempts to change the leadership in Caracas through force, undermine the prospects for a peaceful settlement of the conflict,” it added.

The United States has imposed tough sanctions and Trump has refused to take the threat of military action off the table, in an intensifying campaign to drive Maduro from power.

The United States is insisting Maduro's days are numbered. But experts warn that US options for breaking the stalemate are limited, and that Washington may have overestimated the opposition leader's strength.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan hosted Pompeo at the Pentagon on Friday along with National Security Advisor John Bolton and Admiral Craig Faller, commander of the US Southern Command.

Reiterating Trump's position - that “all options” are on the table - Shanahan declined to provide any details on a possible military intervention.

“I'm trying to avoid walking into 'We could do this or we could do that,'” he said. “What people should feel confident about is we have... there's depth to these plans.”

“We have a comprehensive set of options tailored to certain conditions and I'm just going to leave it at that.”