Russian President Vladimir Putin, third right, speaks during a meeting with heads of the world's leading news agencies at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in St Petersburg, Russia, on Thursday. Speaking in response to a question from The Associated Press during a meeting with chief executives of international news agencies in St. Petersburg, the Russian leader said that "we didn't meddle, we aren't meddling and we will not meddle in any elections." The Russian leader said the U.S. sanctions against Venezuela have hurt ordinary people, and warned Washington against using force to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He accused the United States of shunning talks on extending the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty that is set to expire in 2021. Putin said that while Russia has repeatedly signaled its intention to begin discussions on extending the pact, Washington has been unresponsive.

Source: Libya Today June 06, 2019 22:09 UTC