In a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned Washington's threats against the legitimate government of Venezuela, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, specifying that the conversation took place at Washington's initiative, Sputnik reported.

"Talks focused on the situation in Venezuela. Lavrov condemned US threats against its [Venezuelan] legitimate government as explicit meddling into domestic affairs of a sovereign state and a gross violation of international law," the statement read.

Lavrov said that US destructive interference under the "hypocritical" pretext of delivering humanitarian aid had nothing to do with the democratic process.

The head of the Russian foreign ministry noted that Moscow was ready for consultations on Venezuelan crisis and stressed the need to respect the provisions of the UN Charter.

"As Washington suggested to hold bilateral consultations on Venezuela, it was noted that we are ready for this, while it is necessary to respect the principles enshrined in the UN Charter scrupulously since only Venezuelans have the right to determine their future," the statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry read.