NEW YORK, January 24. /TASS/. The United States is looking closely at the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Russia over Moscow's support for Nicolas Maduro's government in Venezuela, US Secretary of State Pompeo said in an interview with Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald.
"I never get out in front of decisions on sanctions, but we are looking closely," Pompeo said in response to a question on whether the US is ready to impose new sanctions on Russia over supporting Maduro. "We're looking closely at every element, resources," he added.
"We're confident that the people of Venezuela will never again support Maduro," he noted. "He may still have control of the military today, but we knoe what the Venezuelan people ultimately want. We're determined to do all that we can to assist them in achieving that end," he stressed.
The political crisis in Venezuela exacerbated on January 23, when Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas. Several countries, including the United States, most of the EU states, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), Australia, Albania, Georgia and Israel, as well as the Organization of American States, recognized him as the legitimate leader. Incumbent President of the country Nicolas Maduro, in turn, blasted the move as a coup staged by Washington and said he was severing diplomatic ties with the US. In contrast, Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro.