U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives at Manama International Airport in Manama, Bahrain, January 11, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will brief the UN Security Council on Saturday on Venezuela and urge member countries to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president, the State Department said in a statement on Friday.

The meeting of the 15-member council was requested by the United States after Washington and a string of countries in the region said they recognized Guaido as head of state and urged President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

The U.N. request faces opposition from Russia.