‘Various contacts’ made, says embattled president, amid reports he is negotiating a way to stand down

Nicolás Maduro has confirmed top Venezuelan officials have been talking to members of Donald Trump’s White House, after reports his second-in-command had been negotiating his downfall with the United States.

“I confirm that for months there have been contacts between senior officials from Donald Trump’s government and from the Bolivarian government over which I preside – with my express and direct permission,” Venezuela’s authoritarian leader said in a televised address on Tuesday night.

“Various contacts through various channels,” Maduro added.

Maduro’s remarks came after two reports in the US media claimed Diosdado Cabello, one of Venezuela’s most powerful and feared men, had been engaged in “secret communications” with Trump officials.

On Sunday Axios claimed that in recent months Cabello, the 56-year-old head of Venezuela’s pro-Maduro constituent assembly, had been communicating with Trump’s top Latin America adviser, Mauricio Claver-Carone. Some Trump officials reportedly considered that a positive sign suggesting Maduro’s circle was “gradually cracking”.

The Associated Press claimed Cabello had met someone “in close contact with the Trump administration” in Caracas last month and that a second meeting was envisioned. The US reportedly hoped engaging with Cabello would intensify an internal “knife fight” supposedly raging at the pinnacle of Maduro’s administration.

Observers of Venezuelan politics greeted those reports – apparently designed to destablise Maduro’s crisis-stricken administration by stoking paranoia within his inner-circle - with scepticism.

Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the Chatham House thinktank, said: “I think what the US is trying to do is some sort of psy ops thing, trying to rattle people within Maduro’s administration.”

But on Tuesday Maduro confirmed contact with the US, which he painted as proof that he had been seeking ways “for president Donald Trump to truly listen to Venezuela and the truth of the 21st century Bolivarian revolution”.

Earlier in the day Trump told reporters: “We’re talking to various representatives of Venezuela. I don’t want to say who, but we are talking at a very high level.”

Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuela expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, described reports there had been talks between Cabello and Trump officials as “a very positive sign”.

“It suggests an understanding at the top level of [Maduro’s] government that this is unsustainable,” he said of Venezuela’s ongoing economic, political and humanitarian meltdown.

“I think what these people are looking for is some kind of guarantee [from the US] that they are not going to end up in a jail cell in Miami,” Ramsey added.

Maduro has been fighting for his political life since January when a young opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, declared himself Venezuela’s rightful president and received the backing of more than 50 governments, including the US and UK.

More than four million Venezuelans have now fled their oil-rich but economically devastated nation, according to the UN’s refugee agency, with at least 1 million people leaving since last November alone. </s> President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Wednesday cast doubt on President Nicolás Maduro’s claim that he is overseeing secret talks with the United States, saying it only reflects disarray within the Venezuelan government.

Guaidó spoke a day after Maduro and President Donald Trump said high-level officials in their respective administrations have been meeting about ending the South American nation’s deepening crisis.

Neither Maduro nor Trump mentioned anything about Guaidó, whom the United States and more than 50 other nations recognize as Venezuela’s rightful president. In his first public remarks about the matter, Guaidó said the Venezuelan government was dysfunctional and that its hardliners would be disappointed to hear about alleged talks with the U.S.

“What’s clear are the contradictions of the regime,” he said at an event in Caracas. “How many times have we seen how disorganized the regime is? If they’ve been effective in anything, it’s communications, propaganda, lies for years.”

Guaidó referred to a tweet Wednesday by U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who said Maduro must be removed and that the talks don’t involve him.

“The only items discussed by those who are reaching out behind Maduro’s back are his departure and free and fair elections,” Bolton tweeted.

However, Maduro said on national television Tuesday that talks had long been underway between officials in his government and the U.S. administration.

“We’ve had secret meetings in secret places with secret people that nobody knows,” Maduro said, adding that all talks had been carried out under his “direct” authorization. “Sure there’s been contact and we’ll continue having contact.”

Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, said the U.S. involvement could be critical in breaking the monthslong stalemate but that the Trump administration nonetheless should be careful not to overstep the delicate boundaries at play.

“The U.S. has not only an opportunity, but a responsibility, to use leverage it has to try and advance the position of the opposition and try and reach a deal,” he said. “It oversteps when it moves in directions that are clearly not aligned with what Guaidó is supporting.”

Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have been escalating since early this year when Guaidó, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared the constitution gives him presidential powers because Maduro’s election last year was a fraud. But despite his widespread international backing, Guaidó has been unable to loosen Maduro’s grip on power and in particular, the military.

The Associated Press reported over the weekend that the United States has made secret contact with socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello as close allies of Maduro’s inner circle seek guarantees they won’t face prosecution for alleged abuses and crimes if they cede to growing demands to step down from power.

As he took questions from reporters Tuesday, Trump confirmed his administration is talking to “various representatives of Venezuela” but refused to say whether the White House is specifically talking to Cabello.

“I don’t want to say who,” he said. “But we’re talking at a very high level.”

A U.S. official told the AP the goal is not to prop up Cabello or pave the way for him to substitute Maduro, but to ratchet up pressure on the regime by contributing to the knife fight the U.S. believes is taking place behind the scenes among competing circles of power within the ruling party.

Cabello said at a socialist party event Monday that he’s long stood welcome to talk to anyone, so long as Maduro approves of the exchange.

“I meet with the owners of the circus,” he said, in an apparent reference to the U.S. “Not with those who work for them. The opposition works for them.”

Shifter and other analysts said that any communication between the U.S. and Venezuela is a positive sign.

John Polga-Hecimovich, a political scientist at the U.S. Naval Academy, said it’s unclear to what extent, if any, Guaidó is involved in the talks. If the communication is in fact unilateral between the Trump and Maduro administrations, it would make the opposition appear weakened.

“The direct dialogue speaks to the limitations of the opposition,” he said.

The development comes just weeks after the U.S. Treasury Department slapped tough new sanctions against the Venezuelan government that would target even foreign companies that do business with the Maduro administration.

Analysts said it’s not surprising that a backroom dialogue between U.S. and Venezuelan officials remains active.

“The situation is in such a deadlock that I imagine the U.S. is looking for a way to open other pathways,” said Venezuelan analyst Carlos Romero. “Ones that are less belligerent than they’ve used up till now.”

Associated Press writer Christine Armario in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Wednesday cast doubt on President Nicolás Maduro's claim that he is overseeing secret talks with the United States, saying it only reflects disarray within the Venezuelan government.

Guaidó spoke a day after Maduro and President Donald Trump said high-level officials in their respective administrations have been meeting about ending the South American nation's deepening crisis.

In his first public remarks about the matter, Guaidó said the Venezuelan government was dysfunctional and that its hardliners would be disappointed to hear about alleged talks with the U.S.

"What's clear are the contradictions of the regime," he said at an event in Caracas. "How many times have we seen how disorganized the regime is? If they've been effective in anything, it's communications, propaganda, lies for years."

Guaidó comments focused on dialogue and foreign diplomacy more than he has in the past, as a delegation of opposition leaders this week travel to Washington to fine tune their strategy for forcing Maduro from power.

Meanwhile, Maduro has sent two members of his government to Russia. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López recently visited Moscow to fortify military ties, and Vice President Delcy Rodriguez met Wednesday with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in talks aimed at expanding economic, military and other relations between the two nations.

David Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America, who has spent decades researching Venezuela, said these parallel trips demonstrate the critical role that Russia and the United States have taken in Venezuela's conflict.

"They're having their own high level meetings with Russia, while the opposition is in D.C.," Smilde said. "This shows the level that this is a geopolitical conflict."

Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have been escalating since early this year when Guaidó, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared the constitution gives him presidential powers because Maduro's election last year was a fraud. But despite his widespread international backing, Guaidó has been unable to loosen Maduro's grip on power and in particular, the military.

The Associated Press reported over the weekend that the United States has made secret contact with socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello as close allies of Maduro's inner circle seek guarantees they won't face prosecution for alleged abuses and crimes if they cede to growing demands to step down from power.

Maduro said on national television Tuesday that talks had long been underway between officials in his government and the U.S. administration.

"We've had secret meetings in secret places with secret people that nobody knows," Maduro said, adding that all talks had been carried out under his "direct" authorization. "Sure there's been contact and we'll continue having contact."

However, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton tweeted Wednesday that Maduro must be removed and that the talks don't involve him. "The only items discussed by those who are reaching out behind Maduro's back are his departure and free and fair elections," Bolton tweeted.

As he took questions from reporters Tuesday, Trump confirmed his administration is talking to "various representatives of Venezuela" but refused to say whether the White House is specifically talking to Cabello.

"I don't want to say who," he said. "But we're talking at a very high level."

A U.S. official told the AP the goal is not to prop up Cabello or pave the way for him to substitute Maduro, but to ratchet up pressure on the regime by contributing to the knife fight the U.S. believes is taking place behind the scenes among competing circles of power within the ruling party.

Many saw negotiations hosted by Norway on the Caribbean island of Barbados between the Maduro government and its opposition as Venezuela's best chance at resolving the crisis. Then, Bolton unveiled a new round of harsh sanctions this month, which prompted Maduro to pull out.

Smilde and other analysts said that communication between the U.S. and Venezuela unveiled this week is a positive sign.

John Polga-Hecimovich, a political scientist at the U.S. Naval Academy, said it's unclear to what extent, if any, Guaidó is involved in the talks. If the communication is in fact unilateral between the Trump and Maduro administrations, it would make the opposition appear weakened.

"The direct dialogue speaks to the limitations of the opposition," he said.

The development comes just weeks after the U.S. Treasury Department slapped tough new sanctions against the Venezuelan government that would target even foreign companies that do business with the Maduro administration.

Analysts said it's not surprising that a backroom dialogue between U.S. and Venezuelan officials remains active.

"The situation is in such a deadlock that I imagine the U.S. is looking for a way to open other pathways," said Venezuelan analyst Carlos Romero. "Ones that are less belligerent than they've used up till now." </s> (AP) — As President Donald Trump and Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolás Maduro confirmed secret talks between their governments on Tuesday, one key player appeared to be left on the sidelines: The opposition.

Comments by both the U.S. and Venezuelan presidents each revealed that high-level officials in their respective administrations have been meeting about ending the South American nation’s deepening crisis.

But neither mentioned anything about opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who the United States and more than 50 other nations recognize as Venezuela’s rightful president.

Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, said the U.S. involvement could be critical in breaking the monthslong stalemate but that the Trump administration nonetheless should be careful not to overstep the delicate boundaries at play.

“The U.S. has not only an opportunity, but a responsibility, to use leverage it has to try and advance the position of the opposition and try and reach a deal,” he said. “It oversteps when it moves in directions that are clearly not aligned with what Guaidó is supporting.”

Guaidó has not directly addressed the high-level U.S.-Venezuela exchange, but said Tuesday that he’s been working since earlier this year toward a pacific transition. He is expected to deliver remarks Wednesday.

“We’re not going to ease off even for a moment,” he wrote on Twitter.

Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have been escalating since early this year when Guaidó, who is the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared the constitution gives him presidential powers because Maduro’s election last year was a fraud. But despite his widespread international backing, Guaidó has been unable to loosen Maduro’s grip on power and in particular, the military.

The Associated Press reported over the weekend that the United States has made secret contact with socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello as close allies of Maduro’s inner circle seek guarantees they won’t face prosecution for alleged abuses and crimes if they cede to growing demands to step down from power.

As he took questions from reporters Tuesday, Trump confirmed his administration is talking to “various representatives of Venezuela” but refused to say whether the White House is specifically talking to Cabello.

“I don’t want to say who,” he said. “But we’re talking at a very high level.”

In a nationally broadcast appearance hours later, Maduro said that talks had long been underway between officials in his government and the U.S. administration.

“We’ve had secret meetings in secret places with secret people that nobody knows,” Maduro said, adding that all talks had been carried out under his “direct” authorization. “Sure there’s been contact and we’ll continue having contact.”

The socialist leader said that he’s ready to meet with Trump himself to normalize relations, an offer he’s made before.

An administration official told the AP the goal is not to prop up Cabello or pave the way for him to substitute Maduro, but to ratchet up pressure on the regime by contributing to the knife fight the U.S. believes is taking place behind the scenes among competing circles of power within the ruling party.

Cabello has shied away from discussing any details of the meeting, but said at a socialist party event Monday that he’s long stood welcome to talk to anyone, so long as Maduro approves of the exchange.

“I meet with the owners of the circus,” he said, in an apparent reference to the U.S. “Not with those who work for them. The opposition works for them.”

Shifter and other analysts said that any communication between the U.S. and Venezuela is a positive sign but noted that the exact substance of the talks and how close either side is to reaching a resolution remains to be seen.

“Whether they’ll actually produce an agreement is unclear,” he said.

John Polga-Hecimovich, a political scientist at the U.S. Naval Academy, said it’s also unclear to what extent, if any, Guaidó is involved in the talks. If the communication is in fact unilateral between the Trump and Maduro administrations, it would make the opposition appear weakened.

“The direct dialogue speaks to the limitations of the opposition,” he said.

The development comes just weeks after the U.S. Treasury Department slapped tough new sanctions against the Venezuelan government that would target even foreign companies that do business with the Maduro administration.

“There are no good faith negotiations with Maduro and his cronies,” U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton tweeted earlier this year.

Despite the harsh rhetoric, analysts said it’s not surprising that a backroom dialogue between U.S. and Venezuelan officials remains active.

“The situation is in such a deadlock that I imagine the U.S. is looking for a way to open other pathways,” said Venezuelan analyst Carlos Romero. “Ones that are less belligerent than they’ve used up till now.”

Associated Press writer Christine Armario in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report. </s> Maduro says there has been contact with US officials 'for months'

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Aug. 20 he had authorized contact with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump "for months," in an effort to repair relations with Washington.

In January, Maduro broke diplomatic relations with the United States. Washington imposed sanctions on high-level officials and Venezuelan state entities to increase pressure on Maduro and remove him as leader of the OPEC nation.

Officials from the two countries had not previously confirmed contact until earlier on Aug. 21, when Trump told journalists at the White House his administration had been in talks "at a very high level" with various representatives from Venezuela but declined to give details.

Maduro said he could not reveal details about which officials had been in contact with the Trump administration or what they had discussed, but that the goal of the discussions was to "normalize and resolve this conflict" between the two countries.

"I can confirm that for months we have had contact," Maduro said during an appearance on state television. "Just as I have sought dialogue in Venezuela, I have sought a way for President Donald Trump to really listen to Venezuela," he added.

Maduro and a delegation representing opposition leader Juan Guaido have been meeting in Barbados as part of talks to resolve a political stalemate in nation that is suffering from a hyperinflationary economic collapse.

This week opposition politicians are traveling to Washington to speak to U.S. officials, four sources told Reuters. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday his government is talking to “various representatives” of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who also confirmed that “secret” discussions had been taking place.

In a nationally broadcast appearance hours after Trump spoke, Maduro said that talks had long been underway between high officials in his government and the U.S. administration.

“We’ve had secret meetings in secret places with secret people that nobody knows,” Maduro said, adding that all talks had been carried out under his “direct” authorization. “Sure there’s been contact and we’ll continue having contact.”

The Associated Press reported over the weekend that the U.S. has made secret contact with socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello as close allies of Maduro’s inner circle seek guarantees they won’t face prosecution for alleged abuses and crimes if they cede to growing demands to remove him.

Maduro did not name any officials in his government participating in U.S. meetings. The socialist leader said that he’s ready to meet with Trump himself to normalize relations, an offer he’s made before.

Venezuela was one of many topics addressed by Trump when he took questions from reporters earlier Tuesday during his meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

Trump, however, refused to say whether such dialogue is being conducted with Cabello, considered the nation’s second most powerful politician after Maduro.

“We’re talking to various representatives of Venezuela,” Trump responded when a reporter asked him whether the White House is talking to Cabello. “I don’t want to say who, but we are talking at a very high level.”

The U.S. considers opposition leader Juan Guaidó to be the legitimate president of the country.

An administration official told AP the goal is not to prop up Cabello or pave the way for him to substitute Maduro, but to ratchet up pressure on the regime by contributing to the knife fight the U.S. believes is taking place behind the scenes among competing circles of power within the ruling party.

At a press conference Monday in Caracas, Cabello shied away from discussing any details of the meeting and at one point likened it to “a lie, a manipulation.” But he also said he has long stood welcome to talk to anyone, so long as any discussions take place with Maduro’s approval.

Talks sponsored by Norway between the opposition and government have been slow moving and were suspended this month by Maduro.

Trump repeated Tuesday that his government is helping Venezuela “as much as we can” so that the country resolves its political and financial crises, which he attributed to socialism.

“Fifteen years ago it was one of the wealthiest countries. Now it’s one of the poorest countries,” he said.

The U.N. estimates that at least four million Venezuelans have left their country because of hyperinflation and severe shortages of food and medicine. </s> The Venezuelan opposition is in talks with sympathetic military and civilian officials in a bid to force out President Nicolás Maduro, self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaidó said in an interview Sunday with The Washington Post.

Backed by the United States and other nations, Guaidó also said the opposition will test the socialist government by bringing in food aid to ease a crippling humanitarian crisis.

Guaidó and his opposition are locked in a high stakes power play to wrest Maduro from power. In Caracas, Maduro’s top brass and defense minister have sworn their allegiance to him.

Guaidó told The Post that talks with the military were proceeding behind the scenes. He also hailed a move on Saturday by Maduro’s former military attaché in Washington to switch allegiance to Guaidó.

“We have been in talks with government officials, civilian and military men,” Guaidó said. “This is a very delicate subject involving personal security. We are meeting with them but discreetly.”

With the backing of the United States and a host of Latin American countries, Guaidó last week proclaimed himself interim president. The new head of Venezuela’s democratically elected National Assembly, a body stripped of its power by Maduro in 2017 but still recognized internationally, Guaidó has argued that Maduro is illegitimate and must leave power after elections last year that were widely derided as fraudulent.

Antonio Rivero, a Venezuelan general in exile in Miami, said he has spoken with high, middle and lower military officials who dissent against Maduro but remain fearful of a full break.

“Many soldiers are desperate,” Rivero said. “The armed forces are broken already.”

In the eastern slum of Petare, anti-Maduro residents approached National Guard stations to hand out fliers with an amnesty pledge to encourage the drab-clad guards to turn against Maduro. One guard burned the paper as they shouted, “Soldier, my friend, you’re the only one missing.”

The crowd had met early and had bought the guards baked goods for breakfast, hoping for a most positive response.

“We’re asking them to stop going out to the streets to repress us. We’re asking them to come out to support us,” said Manfredo Gonzalez, a social worker.

As Guaidó seeks to establish a transition government with an international network, he said he was in the process of naming “foreign representatives.” Carlos Vecchio, an exiled Venezuelan opposition leader living in South Florida was already “exerting responsibilities” in the United States, he said. Guaidó said that ahead of his proclamation as president, he had met or spoken with several U.S. senators, including Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.).

The United States.and Venezuela broke diplomatic relations last week, as the Trump administration recognized Guaidó, and Maduro responded with an order for U.S. diplomats to depart Caracas by Jan. 26. Maduro, however, backed off that ultimatum following an agreement to keep minimal staff in the country for 30 days as the two sides negotiate the establishment of more limited “interest offices.”

If no deal is reached at the end of that period, diplomats would still need to be pulled within 72 hours.

The United States last week ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel from Venezuela but has said the embassy would remain open with a skeleton crew. In an interview with CNN Turk broadcast on Sunday, Maduro confirmed that a small number of U.S. diplomats were still in Caracas.

“I have authorized a small group to remain, to carry out the negotiations that will take place during 30 days for the establishment of an interests office,” Maduro said. “We do not have diplomatic and political relations with them. I broke them.”

Maduro lashed out at European powers that have given him eight days, starting Saturday, to call new elections. If he doesn’t, they have threatened to recognize Guaidó.

“They must withdraw this ultimatum. Nobody can give us an ultimatum,” Maduro told the network.

Guaidó told The Post that the opposition was preparing to challenge the government’s authority by bringing food aid into the country, aid made possible by a $20 million pledge from the United States, as well as offers from Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and the European Union. Maduro has largely blocked aid in the past, claiming that rapidly spreading hunger and disease in Venezuela is a fiction invented by his enemies.

“Humanitarian aid is the center of our policy, and we are working on the logistics,” he said. “We believe this will be a new dilemma for the regime and the Armed Forces. They’ll have to decide if they’re on the side of the people and want to heal the country, or if they will ignore it. I believe we’re going to achieve it. They’re going to let it in.”

He said his challenge to Maduro is in an early, sensitive phase. He said “many elements need to be solved” before he would seek new elections. He suggested it would take six to nine months to do so if Maduro steps down and the electoral system could be rapidly purged of corruption.

Guaidó credited foreign backing for the government’s restraint in dealing with him. Though he was briefly detained earlier this month, Maduro’s government has treaded relatively lightly; it has arrested, charged or driven into exile other opposition leaders.

Guaido’s growing recognition has placed practical burdens on his fledgling transitional government, including how to pay for embassy rents and staffing in countries where he is viewed as Venezuela’s emergency leader. The opposition has said Guaidó is partly counting on Venezuelan assets frozen by the United States, which the Trump administration has pledge to put at his disposal to carry out diplomacy and governance.

Guaidó said the fledging transitional government seeks to take control of Citgo, the U.S. oil company wholly owned by the Venezuelan state via American subsidiaries, but suggested it might take time. Influential Venezuelan exiles were calling on the Trump administration to take steps that could secure Citgo as a source of revenue for Guaido’s transitional government.

“Nothing will signal Mr. Maduro more pointedly than the loss of control over foreign assets,” said Pedro Burelli, former member of the board of directors of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, which owns Citgo.

“Other than liquid assets owned by an array of public entities, control of Citgo would be a game changer,” he said.

Faiola reported from Rio de Janeiro and Kryger from Miami.

Fight in Venezuela is against more than a strongman — it’s against what some call a criminal empire

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news </s> Beleaguered Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro confirmed late Tuesday that his top-level officials have been in secret talks with members of the Trump administration to try to negotiate his exit. Reuters reports the secret meetings first came to light after American media outlets reported that Diosdado Cabello, one of Venezuela’s most powerful and feared men, had been in “secret communications” with high-ranking Trump officials. “I confirm that for months there have been contacts between senior officials from Donald Trump’s government and from the Bolivarian government over which I preside—with my express and direct permission,” Maduro said in a televised statement. “Various contacts through various channels.” </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration ratcheted up pressure on Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday, announcing U.S. recognition of the country's opposition leader as interim president and signaling potential new sanctions against its vital oil sector.

With street protests against Maduro underway across Venezuela, Trump said the United States recognized Juan Guaido, head of the opposition-controlled Congress, as the country's leader and called socialist President Nicolas Maduro's government "illegitimate."

"I will continue to use the full weight of United States economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of Venezuelan democracy," Trump said in a statement, encouraging other governments in the Western Hemisphere to also recognize Guaido.

The administration had been waiting to issue its announcement after Guaido had been sworn in as the country's temporary president on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Venezuelan opposition sympathizers had been urging Guaido to assume the presidency since Maduro was inaugurated to a second term on Jan. 10 following a widely boycotted election last year that the United States and many other foreign governments described as a fraudulent.

Guaido, a newcomer on the national scene who was elected to head Congress on Jan. 5, had said earlier he was willing to replace Maduro if he had the support of the military, with the aim of then calling for free elections.

U.S. officials in recent days had stated openly that Maduro no longer had a legitimate claim on power.

The sources acknowledged that formal recognition of Guaido would be complicated by questions of how to deal with Venezuela's U.S.-based diplomats. Such a move could also backfire if Maduro took action to prevent Guaido from being sworn in or used it as a pretext to detain him again.

Adding to pressure on Maduro, multiple sources said the Trump administration could impose new U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's vital oil sector as soon as this week if the political situation there deteriorates further.

U.S. officials are considering a range of potential measures, including restricting U.S. imports of Venezuelan oil or even a full ban, to punish Maduro's government but no final decisions have been made as Washington closely watches the street protests unfolding in the country, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Two other sources briefed on the matter said the U.S. administration had privately informed U.S. energy companies of its deliberations.

The post Trump Recognizes Opposition Leader as Venezuela’s Interim President appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
Nicolás Maduro confirms United States reports that top Venezuelan officials are having secret meetings with members of the Trump administration. Maduro claims that the talks encourage Trump to listen to him; United States sources claim that the talks encourage Maduro supporters to defect.