MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/. The United States took a hard line against Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro-led authorities for fear of growing influence of Russia and China in the region, former US presidential national security advisor (2018-2019) John Bolton says in his book The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, released on Tuesday.

"Maduro’s autocratic regime was a threat due to its Cuba connection and the openings it afforded Russia, China, and Iran. Moscow’s menace was undeniable, both military and financial, having expended substantial resources to buttress Maduro, dominate Venezuela’s oil-and-gas industry, and impose costs on the US. Beijing was not far behind," Bolton claims. "America had opposed external threats in the Western Hemisphere since the Monroe Doctrine, and it was time to resurrect it after the Obama-Kerry efforts to bury it."

The situation in Venezuela aggravated after in January 2019 opposition figurehead Juan Guaido, whose appointment to the post of the speaker of parliament had been annulled by the Supreme Court, proclaimed himself as acting president. In this capacity he was recognized by the United States and then by the Lima group of countries (except for Mexico), the Organization of American States and some EU member-countries. Maduro slammed this as a government coup attempt and severed relations with the US. Russia, Belarus, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Syria and Turkey came out in his support.