MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. The hasty crusade for regime change in Venezuela resembling a ‘cavalry charge’ has failed, so pressure on the country from outside is only going to mount, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s (upper house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev said on Monday after the committee had met for a closed-door session to discuss the developments in Venezuela.

"We discussed the current situation in Venezuela from the standpoint of economics, the public’s social standing, and the mood of society," the senior legislator noted.

"It is clear that outside pressure on Venezuela bent on regime change still persists, and will possibly be mounting," Kosachev added. He said that parliamentarians at the session had agreed that Russia’s policy towards Venezuela, aimed at protecting basic international laws, non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states as well as the sovereign right of the Venezuelan people to determine their own destiny, is correct and will remain unchanged.

US-led coup plot in Venezuela

On January 23, Juan Guaido, whose appointment as parliamentary speaker had been annulled by the Supreme Court two days earlier, declared himself as acting president. On the same day, Washington recognized him as acting head of state, as did the Lima Group countries (barring Mexico), the Organization of American States, and a number of other nations among them such as, Australia, Albania, Georgia and Israel. President Nicolas Maduro blasted the developments as an attempted coup.

In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey came out in Maduro’s support. The UN secretary-general called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.