Pompeo, Lavrov trade accusations on Venezuela in phone call

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov traded accusations in a phone call Wednesday that the other power was destabilizing Venezuela after an aborted military uprising. With the United States pushing to topple President Nicolas Maduro, Pompeo charged that Russia and Cuba were instrumental in keeping the leftist firebrand in power. Pompeo "stressed that the intervention by Russia and Cuba is destabilizing for Venezuela and for the US-Russia bilateral relationship," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.