Venezuela becomes Trump's latest proxy battle with Russia

The Trump administration is tumbling into a proxy battle with Russia over Venezuela, the latest international standoff that threatens a return to the tense Cold War years.

The two sides traded barbed accusations this week after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó called on the public and the military to rise up and oust autocrat Nicolás Maduro. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened military action and accused Russia of persuading Maduro to cling to office instead of fleeing to Cuba amid growing street protests. Russia, in turn, chided Pompeo for spreading “fakes” as part of an “information war.”

The disagreement spilled into a phone call Wednesday between the two countries’ top diplomats — a U.S. description shows Pompeo chastising Russia for its “destabilizing” behavior, while the Kremlin’s recounting details its foreign minister blasting America’s actions as “the rudest violation of international law.”

The face-off, which also involves Cuba backing Maduro, is a potentially explosive confrontation between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin as the president heads into his reelection bid. And it threatens any effort to ease relations with the Kremlin in the wake of special counsel Robert Mueller’s conclusion that Trump’s campaign did not criminally conspire with the Kremlin to meddle in the 2016 campaign.“This is our hemisphere — it’s not where the Russians ought to be interfering,” Trump national security adviser John Bolton told reporters on Wednesday. “This is a mistake on their part. It’s not going to lead to an improvement in relations.