By Elena Teslova</p> <p>MOSCOW (AA) – Throwing his support firmly behind Venezuela’s elected leader, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro in a phone talk on Thursday.</p> <p>“The president of Russia expressed his support to the legitimate Venezuelan authorities in the context of the aggravation of the internal political crisis provoked from the outside,” said a Kremlin statement, referring to the U.S. and other countries calling an opposition leader the country's “interim president.”</p> <p> Putin “stressed that destructive external interference grossly violates the fundamental norms of international law,” the statement added.</p> <p>Putin said a solution could be found within the framework of Venezuela’s constitutional principles, it said.</p> <p>Thanking Putin for his support, Maduro briefed him on the situation and what might happen next, the statement added.</p> <p>Both leaders agreed to continue further cooperation.</p> <p>On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president, escalating the ongoing feud between the U.S. and Maduro.</p> <p>Maduro quickly shot back, cutting off diplomatic relations with Washington and giving U.S. diplomats 72 hours to leave the country.</p> <p>Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also sided with Maduro, saying failing to respect election results shows “a totalitarian mindset.”</p> <p>Maduro was reelected last May.</p> <p> </p> <p>
