Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to negotiate with 'US-backed Opposition'

Moscow: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he was ready to hold negotiations with the US-backed Opposition and added he would support early parliamentary elections, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.

“I am ready to sit down at the negotiating table with the Opposition so that we could talk for the good of Venezuela,” Maduro told the Russian news agency in an interview.

He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin had promised him more economic and military support during phone talks last week.

“Most modern arms supplies will reach Vene-zuela,” he said, adding such supplies were arriving “every month.” 

“There is cooperation every month. This is normal, nothing extraordinary about this,” he added.

Venezuela is a rare Moscow ally in Latin America. The two countries have a long history of ties and Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez, known for his tirades against the US, was a welcome guest at the Kremlin.

The US, a dozen Latin American nations and Canada recognised Gua-ido as interim president, while China and Russia urged non-interference.