Caracas, February 7 (RHC)-- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.  Upon his arrival, Lavrov met with his Venezuelan counterpart, Jorge Arreaza.   On Friday, he is meeting with Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro at a time when the U.S. government threatens to tighten its sanctions against the Bolivarian Revolution.

After visiting Cuba and Mexico, Lavrov arrived in Caracas on Thursday night, only a few hours after the U.S. Department of State suggested that its sanctions plan against Venezuela could start attacking Russia.  Washington says Russian companies have bought oil from the South American country.

To emphasize the intentions of his country, the U.S. President Donald Trump received Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Guaido at the White House this week.  On Thursday, the U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams also warned that Russia's support for the Venezuelan government "will no longer be free."

Besides criticizing the "provocations" stemming from the United States, Lavrov pointed out that Washington is just looking for a pretext for deploying a military intervention.

According to analysts, despite the Cold War-style drama fostered by the Trump administration, the U.S. is not likely to sanction Russian oil companies given that the impact on the international energy markets would be very damaging to the U.S. economy.

The diplomatic relations between Russia and Venezuela were established in 1945.  Over the last two decades, both nations have forged an important strategic alliance.  This has made possible the signing of hundreds of cooperation agreements in different areas, mainly in energy, economic, technological, industrial, and military matters.

The Russian delegation accompanying Lavrov includes Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, among others.