Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro greets during an event with Venezuelan athletes who have participated in international tournaments, in Caracas, Venezuela June 4, 2019. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday after talks in Moscow with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that Moscow and Beijing wanted the situation in Venezuela to stabilize.

Russia and China are close allies of Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro.