Venezuela GLOBAL CRISIS: Putin warns of military ACTION – Pope issues bloodbath alert

Pope Francis said on Sunday he feared bloodshed in Venezuela but that it was premature for him to take sides because it could cause more damage. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is confronting an unprecedented challenge to his authority after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, citing a fraudulent election and winning wide international support. Britain, Germany, France and Spain all said they would recognise Guaido if Maduro failed to call new elections within eight days.

But the ultimatum was slammed by Venezuelan allies, with Russia saying it was “absurd” and the Venezuelan foreign minister calling it “childlike.”

The Pope told reporters: “In this moment, I support all the Venezuelan people because they are a people who are suffering.”

The religious leader was on a plane taking him back from Panama, where he made an appeal for a just solution and respect for human rights in Venezuela.

He said: “I suffer for what is happening in Venezuela. What is it that scares me? Bloodshed.

“The problem of violence frightens me. After all the efforts made in Colombia, what happened at the police academy was horrific. Bloodshed solves nothing.”

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The Pope was referring to a bomb attack at a police academy in Bogota that killed 21 people.

The government there has blamed the ELN guerrilla group, which had entered peace talks with the previous government.

This comes as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin warned the US not to intervene in Venezuela militarily or else trigger a disaster.

Putin’s deputy foreign minister said: “Venezuela is friendly to us and is our strategic partner.

“We have supported them and will support them.”

In an interview with Russian journal International Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow would stand with Venezuela to protect its sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in its domestic affairs.

When asked about the prospect of US military intervention in Venezuela, Ryabkov said Washington should not interfere.

“We warn against that,” he said.

“We consider that would be a catastrophic scenario that would shake the foundations of the development model which we see in Latin America.”

President Donald Trump has vowed to use the “full weight” of US economic and diplomatic power to push for the repair of Venezuela’s democracy.

Ryabkov did not mention Maduro by name but made it clear Moscow supported his government.

“Venezuela is friendly to us and is our strategic partner,” he said. “We have supported them and will support them.”

source: express.co.uk