American intelligence had orchestrated efforts to overthrow Maduro’s government, Venezuela’s foreign minister said as opposition leader Guaido failed to kick-start the military uprising.

Jorge Arreaza made the point as he was speaking at the press conference following the talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

This was a whole joint plan by [the] CIA and Venezuelan opposition to overthrow Maduro’s government and get their hands on the natural resources of Venezuela.

Venezuela’s top diplomat made it clear Caracas will not hesitate to deploy its full military capacity should Washington decide to intervene the country. “We are ready not only to resist and fight but to win and eliminate any army no matter how strong it is,” the minister said.

Caracas is prepared for any scenario, Arreaza stated but indicated that authorities are seeking a diplomatic solution, as a potential military standoff would be “insanity.”

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Arreaza was holding talks in Moscow with his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov just days after the Washington-backed Venezuelan opposition suffered a failed coup attempt. The country’s armed forces stayed largely loyal to President Maduro, prompting the opposition leader Juan Guaido to speculate that the protestors need “more soldiers” to topple the government.

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As the shadow of potential US intervention still looms over Venezuela, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remarked that any action by Washington in Venezuela “would be lawful.”

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