Rubio said he had no concerns about escalation with Russia over Venezuela.

Washington is not afraid of escalation in relations with Russia against the background of a possible conflict between the United States and Venezuela. This was announced on December 19 at a briefing by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"We are not afraid of escalation with Russia over Venezuela," he said during a conversation with reporters at the State Department.

According to him, the United States always expects Moscow to provide rhetorical support to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The politician also noted that the administration of US President Donald Trump does not consider military confrontation as a desirable scenario. According to him, Trump traditionally avoids involving the United States in new conflicts, preferring diplomatic methods of settlement.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 18 that Moscow was calling for restraint around the worsening situation in Venezuela in order to avoid an unpredictable development of the situation. He also called the escalation of tension in the region potentially dangerous.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted the continuous and purposeful escalation of tension around Venezuela earlier in the day. It was argued that the escalation of the conflict between the United States and Venezuela has unpredictable consequences for the Western Hemisphere.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.