Maduro was ready to leave Venezuela: Pompeo

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was ready to leave the country before Russia convinced him to stay.

"It’s been a long time since anyone has seen Maduro. He had an airplane on the tarmac. He was ready to leave this morning, as we understand it, and the Russians indicated he should stay," Pompeo said in an interview with CNN.

"We’ve made clear that all along, Maduro has been surrounded by Cubans and has been supported by Russians there in Venezuela," he added.

The U.S. has thrown its full support behind an ongoing military uprising aimed at ousting Maduro from power led by opposition leader Juan Guaido.