Mubasher: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday said that the unrest in Venezuela could be resolved through talks between the authorities and the opposition, according to a news report.

“We continue to believe that the only way to exit this crisis is by sitting the government and opposition down at the negotiating table,” the state-run RIA news agency reported, citing Lavrov as saying.

Major European nations on Monday joined the chorus of voices led by the US, recognising opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela, upping the ante in a global showdown over Nicholas Maduro’s regime, which still has the support of China and Turkey.

Several countries, including Canada and Latin American nations, have disavowed Maduro and recognised Guaido as the interim president.

“Otherwise it will simply be the same regime change that the West had done many times,” Lavrov said.

US President Donald Trump said that US military intervention in Venezuela was “an option” on the table.

Russia, a key ally to the crisis-embattled country, objected to Trump’s suggestion, warning against “destructive meddling.”