Pompeo violating Int'l norms with Venezuela Power change plan: Russian Foreign Ministry

In an interview with Colombia’s Caracol TV on Monday, Pompeo said that getting Nicolas Maduro to leave was the desired outcome of Washington’s "project." He described the US backing of Juan Guaido, Venezuela’s self-proclaimed president, as a strategy that was fundamentally working.

"Here is the international law as Washington sees it. What we heard was the US secretary of state confessing that his country is running a campaign to destabilize sovereign countries," Maria Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page.

Pompeo also said that ousting Maduro was a collective effort by the United States and other countries, including those in Europe.

The US administration's efforts to topple Maduro’s government became pronounced last year after it recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, and imposed sanctions that US officials said were designed to exacerbate the country’s already acute economic crisis.

While the United States has expressed concerns over the humanitarian situation in Venezuela, a study released last May — co-authored by leading economist Jeffrey Sachs — concluded that Washington’s sanctions have led to the deaths of some 40,000 Venezuelans since 2017.

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