The United States on Friday intensified its push to drive Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power, as U.S. diplomats left the embassy in Caracas, while Russia vowed to back its socialist South American ally. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to brief the United Nations Security Council on Saturday and urge members to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the oil-rich nation’s legitimate head of state, the U.S. State Department said in a statement. The meeting of the 15-member council was requested by the United States after Washington and a string of countries in the region said they recognized Guaido, the leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly, as head of state and urged Maduro to step down. Russia opposes the request and has accused Washington of trying to usurp power in Venezuela. Moscow will insist on compliance with international law, Russia’s RIA news agency cited […]