U.S. envoy
Elliott Abrams
arrived at the Westin Excelsior resort hoping to persuade Russia to withdraw its guidance for Mr. Maduro and to understand
Juan Guaidó
as Venezuela’s reputable leader. Russian deputy foreign minister
Sergei Ryabkov
as a substitute demanded the U.S. back down from armed forces threats and carry the financial sanctions meant to force Mr. Maduro’s hand.
Image:
sergei chirikov/Agence France-Presse/Getty Pictures
In the months that adopted, the U.S. marketing campaign spiraled into a foreign-coverage debacle, thwarted by common adversaries, Russia and Cuba, as nicely as