Venezuelan leader, barred from US summit, arrives in Turkey

ISTANBUL (AP) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has been welcomed in the Turkish capital one the same day as the foreign minister of Russia, a key ally of the ostracized Latin American regime, was also visiting the city. Maduro started a Eurasian tour in Ankara on Wednesday after being rebuffed by Washington. The U.S. decided not to invite him to the Summit of the Americas. Turkey is one of a handful of places around the world – Russia and Iran are other friendly states – where Maduro is welcome amid U.S. sanctions on his country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also faces travel restrictions due to his country’s war on Ukraine. There was no official word on whether the two men met Wednesday.