Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to meet next week with his Russian counterpart as a dispute between Washington and Moscow intensifies over Venezuela.

A senior State Department official says Pompeo and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will resume an as-yet unproductive discussion on Venezuela when they are both in Finland for an Arctic Council meeting. The two men traded warnings over the situation in Venezuela in a telephone call Wednesday, and the official says they’re expected to pick up that conversation when they meet. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.

The Trump administration accuses Moscow of propping up embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro over opposition figure Juan Guaido, who Washington regards as the country’s legitimate leader.

 
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