UN resolutions on Venezuela pit US, Russia against each other

The United Nations rejected two rival resolutions on Venezuela, one backed by the U.S. and the other by Russia, in what is shaking out to be another sphere of influence battle between the two nations.

The first U.N. resolution proposed by the U.S. and its assembly allies was vetoed in the Security Council by both Russia and China. The resolution, which made it onto a final Security Council after receiving nine endorsements from member states, called for the peaceful transition to democracy and moved to authorize the free flow of humanitarian assistance.