The Kremlin said on Thursday that Nicolas Maduro was the legitimate president of Venezuela and that outside attempts to usurp power in the Latin American country flouted international law.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president on Wednesday, winning the backing of Washington and prompting socialist incumbent Maduro, who has led the oil-rich nation since 2013, to sever diplomatic relations with the United States.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that outside interference in the country was "unacceptable" and that statements by U.S. officials suggesting the possibility of military intervention there were very dangerous. (Reporting by Tom Balmforth, Maxim Rodionov and Christian Lowe; editing by Christian Lowe)