
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.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Arctic Council meeting, which begins Monday in the city of Rovaniemi. The tension in Venezuela will mark the meeting where

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared on Thursday flanked by soldiers at an army base in Caracas, in a show of defiance towards his opponents. Maduro called on the armed forces to defeat “any coup plotter”, following two days of clashes between opposition and pro-government forces.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday accused the top US law-enforcement officer of committing a crime by lying to Congress, escalating the showdown between Donald Trump's administration and the Democrats investigating him.

The United States claimed on Tuesday that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was on his way out, saying he had a plane ready and that senior officials were plotting to oust him, even as the leftist firebrand appeared to survive a military uprising.

Ambassadors designated by Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader recognized by most Western nations as the country's president, have met in Colombia to discuss how to win the support of China and Russia, staunch allies of President Nicolas Maduro.

At his first summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accused the United States of acting in bad faith at their most recent talks, state media in Pyongyang said on Friday.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that Congress “can't impeach” him over the findings of the Mueller report into Russian election meddling and his alleged attempts to hamper the investigation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean state media confirmed. With his Russia visit, North Korea's Kim is seen working to build up foreign support for his economic development plans, since the breakdown of the second US-North Korea summit in Hanoi in February led to stalled talks with Washington on the sanctions relief Pyongyang had sought.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday defended sanctions on Venezuela and said the United States would not “quit the fight” in the socialist-run Latin American nation which is spiraling into deepening economic and political crisis.